How ‘Leonardo DiCaprio’ Scammed a Houston Widow Out of $800K by Claiming He Was Trapped in Scientology

In the summer time of 2018, a 54-year-old lady dwelling in a Houston suburb—a lady I’ll name Denise—determined to develop her social media horizons.

“I’m not a social media butterfly,” she tells me. “I’m usually lurking on Fb to see what my daughters are getting as much as, however 2018 was a politically charged yr. Twitter appeared like a very good discussion board to pop in and blow off some steam.”

Denise was working as a contract author, which included articles for enterprise publications in addition to writing company manuals. She was additionally engaged on a manuscript that was half memoir, half acerbic tackle present occasions. Her politics had been mainstream and customarily in the course of the highway, and he or she was open about not being spiritual in a really spiritual a part of the nation. Her writing confirmed that she was good, humorous, and cherished sarcasm.

Two years earlier, her husband of 28 years had died after a battle with colon most cancers. He’d constructed an organization that constructed house complexes in Texas and so they had executed nicely collectively, amassing almost $1 million in financial savings. Denise was nonetheless recovering emotionally from his dying, and he or she wasn’t on the lookout for a brand new relationship. However together with her two grown daughters out of the home, Denise had a while on her fingers and was trying to work together with others.

“My Twitter profile wasn’t distinctive. My image actually wasn’t glamorous. Organising my account I adopted some politicians, a few of my favourite rock bands, animal rights activists, nonprofit organizations, and environmental teams,” she says.

And she or he additionally adopted some celebrities, notably if they’d expressed pro-environmental views.

A couple of month after creating her account, she acquired her first non-public message by the app. It gave the impression to be from one of many celebrities she had adopted, Leonardo DiCaprio.

“Hiya, Denise,” she remembers the message saying.

“So what’s your actual title?” she responded.

“Leonardo DiCaprio,” they replied.

“Yeah, proper,” she messaged, and logged off.

Over the following few days, she continued to obtain non-public messages from “DiCaprio,” who defined that Fridays and weekends had been his busiest time, however he was free to talk on different days.

“He was working with Quentin Tarantino on the time, however he was well mannered and by no means disclosed an excessive amount of. I did, nonetheless, learn about his filming schedule and a New York and European journey,” Denise recollects. “I discovered of those journeys nicely earlier than the knowledge hit the web.”

Evaluating what she was studying from “DiCaprio” within the non-public messages with what was printed about him within the press solely cemented for her that she was actually chatting with the Oscar-winning star of The Aviator. Quickly, their dialog spilled over from Twitter to texting one another on their telephones.

“He discovered that I cherished to cook dinner. We had been texting one night time once I was making home made ravioli, and he stated that Camila wanted to learn the way,” she says, referring to DiCaprio’s girlfriend, Camila Morrone, who in summer time 2018 had simply turned 21. (DiCaprio was 43.)

“We developed a terrific friendship inside a pair months and he all the time insisted that I name him ‘Leo,’” Denise remembers. And earlier than lengthy, she obtained to talk to him instantly.

“Our first telephone name was transient, virtually as if he positioned it to make sure me that it was him. There was no mistaking his voice,” she claims.

However telephone calls had been troublesome for him, she provides, and never solely as a result of he stated Camila was nosy and tried to hear in.

Quickly sufficient, she discovered that there was a much more troublesome presence in “Leo’s” life that made speaking on the telephone troublesome, and nearly every part else as nicely.

“Leonardo DiCaprio,” Denise found, was allegedly being subjected to enslavement by the Church of Scientology.

Denise was born in England, the daughter of a U.S. Air Pressure airman and a British mom. She had grown up on air bases in locations like New Zealand and Turkey, however she all the time thought-about Texas residence.

She was raised Catholic however drifted away from it. She attended faculty for a few years however left earlier than ending her diploma. She had met her husband in a bar in Austin and some years after they had been married and began a household, she launched into her freelancing profession. Moreover the company writing and the memoir, she was additionally engaged on a graphic novel together with her oldest daughter when “DiCaprio” started messaging her.

They had been quickly burning up a number of totally different platforms of their lengthy conversations: Twitter non-public messages, Gmail hangouts, and e-mail. He even squeezed in a number of rushed telephone calls, however she most well-liked the net chats.

“We had quite a bit in widespread and a few nice laughs. I jokingly known as him a ‘pedophile’ due to the kids he dates. However he shortly corrected me,” she says. “Leo” instructed her he had really had one in all his most significant relationships with an older lady.

Denise shared with him a few of her daughter’s art work on the graphic novel, and he was stunned. “I used to be unaware that Leo’s father, George DiCaprio, had a background in comics, as a result of Leo stored most private particulars near his chest. He was, nonetheless, extraordinarily open along with his emotions,” she recollects.

“This man grew on me shortly and it surprised me. I imagine it was August when he first stated that he cherished me.”

Most of their conversations, nonetheless, had been stored gentle.

“We mentioned frivolous issues like our favourite meals, his being pasta. His favourite shade was inexperienced, mine was purple. I instructed ‘Leo’ goofy issues that I hardly ever share with anybody, like every time I wished my daughters to know that I cherished them I texted them with two coronary heart emojis. A purple coronary heart represented me and the second coronary heart was their favourite shade. ‘Leo’ thought this custom was endearing and requested if he and I may use it. We did. Subsequently, inexperienced and purple hearts peppered our chats. ‘Leo’s’ favourite image was infinity—a sideways determine eight. He would usually use the infinity image.”

Later, that image took on a way more sinister facet, she says, when “DiCaprio” instructed her for the primary time that he was deeply concerned in Scientology. (In some Scientology texts by founder L. Ron Hubbard, the usage of the infinity image is outstanding.)

“My abdomen recoiled,” she remembers.

After which, Leo leveled together with her: He produced for her a letter written to him on church letterhead.

“It demanded that he pay $750,000 to meet his obligations,” she says. “Leo” quickly revealed that each one of his personal private wealth, a whole lot of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}, was really being managed by the church, and he couldn’t get entry to any of it until he paid the $750,000 sum.

“That’s when my nightmare started,” Denise says. “‘Leo’ confessed that he wanted my help and had nowhere to show. He cherished his dad and mom, claimed to have points along with his half-sister, however stated he needed to make his ‘massive’ transfer. He requested if I may probably get a mortgage to assist him begin paying the church off. I used to be shocked. The church and his administration workforce had management over his monetary affairs and his total life. He couldn’t do something with out their approval, together with touring or making any main purchases. They organized and paid for his existence. He admitted then that his relationship with Camila Morrone was organized by the church.”

She was surprised by what “DiCaprio” instructed her in regards to the extent of his bondage to the church, which he referred to in messages as “the CSI,” for Church of Scientology Worldwide.

“‘Leo’ known as the CSI a ‘brotherhood’ and stated his administration workforce and workers had been largely Scientologists,” she says. His money was being held in secret vaults that had been buried on one in all Scientology’s California properties. “He stated the CSI was responsible of human trafficking, slavery, rape, and each monetary crime underneath the solar.”

“Leo” knowledgeable Denise that high-ranking members had been often known as “delegates” and referred to church chief David Miscavige as “his Holiness.” And he let her in on the key method that Scientologists recognized different delegates.

“‘Leo’ stated that male delegates usually obtain a small round scar or divot on their brow —usually located above the left eye however not all the time. This small divot isn’t apparent until you’re on the lookout for it, however it resembles a deep hen pox scar, however it’s extra distinctive. The divot permits greater delegates to simply determine their counterparts,” Denise says. And as soon as she knew to search for the mark, she started recognizing it on quite a few male celebrities who haven’t been publicly linked with the church. (Leonardo DiCaprio and the Church of Scientology didn’t reply to requests for remark for this story.)

“Leo” frightened her with descriptions of formality torture carried out by Scientology, which was recorded on video. “He described pagan, paleolithic-type rituals and ceremonies. He participated, although he claimed he was drugged. The rituals included animals in addition to people,” she says.

What he stated disturbed her a lot, she started to fret not just for his security, however her personal as nicely.

“What he described prompted me to buy my first gun for cover,” she says.

Regardless of her preliminary refusal to assist DiCaprio, as September 2018 started she was turning into satisfied that this man who stated he cherished her really wanted her support.

“Leonardo DiCaprio” wished to interrupt freed from Scientology endlessly, however he couldn’t do it with out the monetary help of a suburban Houston widow.

On September 7, Denise despatched $6,000 in a wire switch to a person named Kenneth in Woodstock, Georgia, who “Leo” stated was one in all his trusted aides.

It was the primary fee of many.

Placing collectively a paper path of Denise’s involvement with “DiCaprio” has been troublesome as a result of the pc she was utilizing in 2018 and 2019 crashed and he or she misplaced years of knowledge. She gave the machine to a restoration knowledgeable and hopes to retrieve its data.

However between data she was capable of entry from her financial institution, in addition to different paperwork she equipped to a number of FBI brokers and that she freely turned over to me, I used to be in a position, together with her assist, to piece collectively a reasonably detailed accounting of her funds.

That accounting exhibits that by the tip of 2018, Denise had made funds to 6 totally different individuals totaling $256,000.

Her communications on the time replicate that she was terribly conflicted about it, satisfied at occasions she was being scammed, however extra usually believing that she and “DiCaprio” had been the victims, and that Scientology was the offender.

Right now, for instance, she says {that a} easy telephone name from “DiCaprio” proved that he was who he stated he was. However an e-mail she despatched him in November 2018 that I noticed exhibits one thing totally different.

“Your solely phone name to me was from a person with a really unusual accent, who instantly hung up on me,” she wrote then. “You lied to me a number of occasions and also you refuse to show who you might be to me, not even by snail mail. And your story continues to alter, virtually every day. You’re not constant, in any respect.”

However she was repeatedly startled to see “proof” of his veracity in different methods. He despatched her a screenshot, for instance, exhibiting that he had dared to, very briefly, publish Denise’s picture on his personal blue-check public Twitter account earlier than taking it down.

And in December 2018, DiCaprio was photographed whereas visiting Artwork Basel in Miami, and in one of many pictures printed in varied magazines he has a barely brooding look. For Denise, it was beautiful proof of what “Leo” had been telling her of their chats—that Scientology’s stalking had change into insufferable, and that he was close to a breaking level.

“These photos satisfied me that I had to assist ‘Leo’ escape the Church of Scientology. I couldn’t think about anybody being so tormented,” she says.

Picture Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Day by day Beast/Getty

She additionally noticed which means within the quantities that he was asking for, all the time multiples of $5,000 or $50,000.

“I discovered that the Church of Scientology costs $5,000 for a Lifetime membership and the Patron-level memberships had been $50,000. I accused ‘Leo’ a number of occasions of paying church charges for members that he had recruited, however he neither denied nor confirmed my accusations.”

After Denise had despatched him greater than a quarter-million {dollars} by the tip of the yr, in January 2019 DiCaprio was noticed flying industrial, and he instructed the press that it needed to do along with his environmental issues. However for Denise, it confirmed that Scientology managed his purse strings, and he was compelled to economize.

By March 2019, she was making her largest funds to date, sending a few $71,500 cashier’s checks to an organization in New Jersey that “Leo” stated was run by a pal of his. However then there was an issue: “Leo” stated he didn’t get the cash. When Denise checked together with her financial institution, they assured her that the cashier’s checks had been delivered and cashed.

This might then change into a working controversy, and added to the bewildering state of affairs for Denise. “DiCaprio” more and more complained that he was solely receiving a part of her funds, as they each suspected that, as soon as once more, Scientology had discovered a solution to intercept the cash.

On March 21, 2019, “Leo” requested Denise to signal and notarize a unusually worded letter which asserted that she and the New Jersey enterprise had a proper association relating to wildlife conservation: “We write to tell you that my firm needs to enter wildlife conservation together with your firm with the purpose of getting an understanding within the act of breeding animals of various varieties for human advantages. We might want to work out the phrases and settlement of the enterprise in due time however first we should get the funds in buying some sure issues comparable to the price of animals, machineries and different supplies which can embrace the land area.”

Once I instructed Denise that it appeared “Leo” was having her signal and notarize a false enterprise association with a purpose to conceal the aim of her funds, she objected, saying as soon as once more it was to guard “Leo” from Scientology’s interference.

However even she, by this time, knew that one thing was very fallacious.

In April 2019 she made her first inquiry with the FBI, talking with a particular agent in Newark—not, she tells me, as a result of she supposed to show in “Leo,” however as a result of she insisted that she and “Leo” had been being ripped off by the Church of Scientology within the guise of the third events that she had been sending the cash to in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Denise instructed “Leo” in regards to the FBI agent, and he or she instructed him she was executed sending cash.

“Leo” knew that she wanted some reassurance. On April 24, he despatched her a prolonged message in a curious approximation of American English:

To be able to make it possible for their communications had been safe and never being intercepted by Scientology, on Might 1 Denise ordered greater than $6,000 in particular iPhones and Apple Watches to be despatched to a person in Georgia, once more an individual “Leo” stated was a detailed pal.

Then, later within the month, Denise skilled a second of readability. In an e-mail she instructed him, “We hit it off virtually immediately however you had been the one who approached me, not vice versa. You chose me and I’m curious why you probably did. You’re infamous for relationship very younger girls. I’m not precisely your kind. I’m having a troublesome time understanding why abruptly your style in females modified so drastically. It is mindless in any way until you wanted a extra mature lady, with some monetary solvency, for different means. Our on-line discussions are wonderful, more often than not. Nonetheless, they all the time find yourself with you needing cash and my giving it. This has and nonetheless does make me really feel like I’m being scammed… I’ll, nonetheless, admit that you simply do know very a lot in regards to the intricate particulars of that cult.”

Then, just some days later, she admitted to him that she wasn’t being totally truthful with the Newark FBI particular agent with a purpose to shield “Leo.” And on June 7, she opened as much as him in a outstanding assertion:

Two weeks later, Denise made a switch of $50,000 to a Navy Federal Credit score Union account within the title of a lady named “Celestina” for “wildlife conservation.” After which one other switch the identical day for $20,000.

By the tip of 2019, Denise had despatched “DiCaprio,” by his go-betweens, $620,455.

A supply I’ve recognized for a number of years, a former Scientologist who has given me nothing however strong details about the church in that point, had a query for me once I instructed them that I used to be engaged on a narrative about Leonardo DiCaprio and Scientology.

“ in regards to the pussy posse, proper?” they requested.

They had been referring to a infamous 1998 New York journal article by Nancy Jo Gross sales that uncovered for the bigger world that younger actor Leo DiCaprio was surrounded by a scrum of different younger guys on the make who had been mowing down girls like time itself was about to expire.

My supply was nicely acquainted with that scene on the time, and jogged my memory that one of many members of Leo’s posse was Scientologist-actor Ethan Suplee.

By Ethan, my supply says, Leo had common contact with different Scientologist Hollywood varieties.

However my supply says it was very well-known within the group that if Leo and his “wolf pack” had few guidelines, there was one which dare not be violated: Leo would have none of that Scientology horseshit.

“Everybody knew it,” they are saying. “Ethan was within the posse and Leo was round quite a lot of Scientologists, however all of us knew that the rule was, he didn’t need to hear something about it.”

One other of my sources witnessed the identical factor herself, however from inside Scientology’s Hollywood Superstar Centre.

She was bodily current when Suplee was requested by the Superstar Centre’s then-president, Karen Hollander, to focus on DiCaprio for recruitment.

“Ethan stated no fucking method,” says my second supply.

So far as I’ve been capable of confirm, DiCaprio has managed to maintain Scientology at arm’s size.

Of their years of conversations and monetary transactions, each Denise and “Leo” used Scientology to elucidate any discrepancy or misunderstanding.

For instance, “Leo’s” writing fashion appeared to alter over time, prefer it was the work of 4 or 5 totally different individuals. However he defined that away by saying he needed to disguise his work as a result of Scientology was watching. Denise, in the meantime, dismissed what FBI brokers instructed her by reasoning that they didn’t perceive the extent of Scientology’s attain.

However even with these justifications to fall again on, in 2020 and 2021 Denise turned extra cautious and despatched “Leo” much less cash. Because of this, “DiCaprio” and his brokers began to get extra aggressive. One lady particularly, “Merlinda Guzman,” who claimed to be an agent of the Church of Scientology, was downright abusive.

“I’m Merlinda Guzman of the Church of Scientology of Love, Mind, and Luminous,” she had launched herself in August 2020. Later, she threatened Denise that if she didn’t ship extra funds, she would by no means get any of her a reimbursement. “Guzman” messaged a photograph of herself holding a cashier’s verify made out to Denise for $878,000—what Denise had despatched after which some—mocking her that she would by no means get it until she cooperated.

“Leo” stated he was upset about this and in September 2020 despatched Denise a duplicate of an e-mail he had written to Scientology chief David Miscavige, complaining about “Merlinda’s” duplicity.

“Hiya my pricey worthy,” Leo’s message to Miscavige started, asking him to persuade “Merlinda” to apologize to Denise for her habits “on behalf of the brotherhood as the only chairman of the board and Holiness.”

By March 2021, and with the assistance of a second FBI particular agent, Denise instructed “Leo” that she had lastly realized that “Leo” and “Merlinda’s” emails had been originating from exterior the U.S. In response, “Leo” gave her an ominous warning: “You haven’t any thought what the brotherhood is actually able to.”

The second half of 2021 and first months of this yr had been crammed with more and more nasty exchanges about how Denise’s whole funds had reached $813,000 and that she was anticipating him to make good on it.

Her most up-to-date exchanges have been with a person named “Derek” who says he works for “Leo” and who claims he’s making an attempt to ship Denise your entire quantity she’s owed in a field full of money.

Denise checked with one of many FBI brokers who confirmed that it might not be a good suggestion to simply accept a field with almost one million in money inside, as she could possibly be charged with cash laundering. She instructed the Chinese language firm that was supposedly asking to ship the cash to cancel the supply.

“Derek” has continued to ship Denise emails, telling her now that he may ship the $813,000 she was owed by “Leo,” however she would first must ship $5,000 to cowl charges that might “launch” the funds.

She had been listening to that for nearly two years.

Lastly, on March 17, Denise despatched an e-mail to me, saying that she had details about “Leo DiCaprio” making an attempt to depart Scientology, and that she had texts and emails to show it.

A number of weeks in the past, after greater than a month of gathering Denise’s a whole lot of paperwork, I known as her and instructed her that inside minutes of first listening to from her, I had shaped two robust impressions. And after weeks of gathering extra element and data, these impressions hadn’t modified.

First, I instructed her, I knew that it wouldn’t do any good to inform Denise what she had already heard from two FBI brokers and one other Division of Justice specialist: that she wasn’t, really, speaking with Leonardo DiCaprio, the actor.

As a substitute, I wished to deal with my second impression. Denise had reached out to me as a result of she knew that I had spent years writing in regards to the Church of Scientology. I’ve talked to a whole lot of Scientologists and I’ve communicated with them in writing, and I’ve learn a whole lot of founder L. Ron Hubbard’s authentic writings and lectures.

I’ve by no means been a Scientologist myself, however I’ve a very good feeling for a way Scientologists communicate and write, and am acquainted with its particular jargon.

And I instructed her that the individuals scamming her didn’t know the slightest factor about Scientology.

All of the discuss a “brotherhood,” and “delegates,” and “his Holiness” was all fallacious, I instructed her.

Sure, she had been despatched letters on what gave the impression to be Church of Scientology letterhead, however it was badly faked. The scammers, who had executed some homework on DiCaprio, had clearly executed virtually none in any respect in terms of Scientology.

However they didn’t really want to. It was apparent that Denise was filling within the gaps for them.

Again and again, I identified to her, she was the one arising with the main points and associations and justifications for what the scammers had been saying and proposing.

The unhappy reality was, she wished to imagine it was all actual.

Denise instructed me she wasn’t conscious that in March 2020, the Division of Justice introduced the arrest of 24 scammers within the Atlanta space, a lot of them Nigerians, for working varied web schemes, together with romance scams.

I identified that three of the boys in Georgia Denise had despatched cash to between 2018 and 2022 had Nigerian final names, one thing she tells me she didn’t discover.

One other impression I shaped, after poring by a whole lot of her textual content conversations with “Leo,” was that she was filling in quite a lot of the gaps there too.

Her contributions in these conversations had been witty and heat, or playfully sarcastic. She was a well-educated lady with a wholesome humorousness who would deliver light and heat to any relationship.

However the man (or reasonably, workforce of fellows) she’d been conversing with? He had virtually nothing fascinating to say. He had pat solutions, in all probability drawn from scripts, and no humorousness.

She was filling in the entire issues she stated she noticed in him. The “Leo DiCaprio” that she had fallen in love with was a creation of her personal thoughts.

I wasn’t certain how Denise was going to react, however she didn’t sound defensive. She had come to me as a result of I had some understanding of Scientology, and he or she accepted what I stated—that Scientology had nothing to do with what she’d been going by.

Picture Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Day by day Beast/Getty

She made it sound like a weight was being lifted off her shoulders, however I didn’t count on that she may so simply shake off one thing that had change into a serious a part of her life for 4 years.

After giving “Leo” a grand whole of $813,000, the overwhelming majority of her life financial savings, she nonetheless had some cash, and an costly automotive she may promote. She wouldn’t lose her home or something like that. However her skill to assist out her daughters financially had been significantly undercut. She knew, with extra certainty than earlier than, that she would by no means get her a reimbursement.

Whereas she absorbed the information, I despatched texts to each “Leo” and “Merlinda,” and emailed “Derek,” the newest agent, who had been asking Denise for $5,000.

I by no means heard again from any of them.

Seven days after that dialog, I requested Denise if she had heard something from the scammers.

“Nope, I haven’t heard something from them. There could be a God in spite of everything,” she replied.

She stated she was prepared to maneuver ahead, which sounded constructive, even when she nonetheless had some nagging doubts. There was the way in which “Leo” appeared to all the time know the place DiCaprio was. How did he handle that? And she or he was nonetheless puzzled by the accent she heard after they spoke, which wasn’t Nigerian so far as she knew. “It was extra Italian, and sometimes German.” She puzzled about the way in which he had wept when he talked a few Scientology initiation ritual.

“I assume I’ll by no means get these solutions,” she says. However she’s grateful she was capable of get some assist.

“This has been a nightmare that I desperately wanted to get up from.”