EXCLUSIVE From hanging with 'Jeff Bezos' to hitting rock bottom: Inside the secret life of alleged Aussie fraudster who hit up American high society - and then skipped town

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

An alleged Aussie fraudster posing as a friend to the rich and famous is accused of emptying the wallets of socialite millionaires in one of America's most refined cities.
Timothy Alford, the brother of Sydney socialite Hollie Nasser, left quite an impact on high society in the charming 'Old South' city of Charleston, South Carolina.
After an 18-month whirlwind of women, flashing the cash, big wheel deals that never quite made it, and passing around photos of himself with a man who he claimed was Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, Alford left town without even paying the dog groomer.
It is only now - after news of a $50million embezzlement investigation by the FBI into Alford, and his connection with the hit Paramount+ drama Fake - that Charleston authorities have been forced to do its own investigation into his time in the city.
One man-about-town who Alford befriended told Daily Mail Australia that the alleged con man's behaviour became 'more and more bizarre, and then one day he was gone'.
Charleston's experience with the elusive Alford only came to light after an investigative series by Nine Newspapers revealed late last year that the FBI has launched an investigation into fraud allegations against him.
The accusations span two countries and involve alleged scams against US multi-millionaires and the ex-wife of a French president.
Charleston realtor Matthew Brockbank contacted Daily Mail Australia following an article about Alford's real life connection with the show, Fake.
In Fake, the love rat character played by Australian actor David Wenham who preys upon Asher Keddie's character, alludes to how he had allegedly been scammed himself.
That alleged scammer was none other than Alford, the big brother of Hollie Nasser.
Alford's alleged $6million scam on the romance con man Sean Lander (played in the show by Wenham) escalated to a creepy online threat toward Alford's family.
It was just another tangled tale for a family that has repeatedly been at the centre of scandal and intrigue in recent years.
But now more information has come to light regarding Alford's alleged exploits in Charleston, a city renowned for its historic charm, luxury hotels, culture and pre-Civil War architecture.
Mr Brockbank said that Alford arrived in Charleston in 2020 and left suddenly in 2021.
While Alford was awash with cash at first - 'always insisting he would pay and it was always cash' - by the end of his 18 months in the city he had grown 'p***ed off, stressed, angry and asking people to pay'.
'He was always flashing money, like a successful businessman and wannabe high roller. There were always women around,' Mr Brockbank said.
'He showed photos of himself with (Amazon boss) Jeff Bezos and (Mötley Crüe drummer) Tommy Lee to brag and was always talking about wheeling and dealing in Los Angeles and New York.
Realtor Matthew Brockbank (left) has some bizarre stories about Alford's time in Charleston, where the Australian was always asking to buy expensive property but never quite coming through with the money
Tim Alford is the brother of Hollie Nasser (above) who in 2021 became a central part of Sydney's biggest love scandal when she ran off with her best friend's husband
'He would always pay cash and refuse to let anyone else pay, and then left town owing debts. I had a buddy who lost a bunch of money. With me, all he did was waste a s***load of my time.'
On several occasions, Alford asked the real estate agent to set up property deals which never came to fruition.
One time he said 'Matthew I'm going to relocate to South Carolina, can you find me land up to $50million for polo ponies, that has a polo field'.
But when Mr Brockbank tried to nail Alford down on the financials, the deal - like all his others - did not come together.
'About four times I said "I need to see proof and talk to the financial adviser", but no. I said whatever, he took me to dinner, and I don't hold a grudge, but it's an insane ego boost pretending to buy places.
'And then, suddenly he disappeared.'
Mr Brockbank said one of the more bizarre schemes was Alford's alleged bid to buy all the antiques from a private club which had gone bust in Charleston.
Mr Brockbank's mother, an antiques expert, spent days going through the wares and putting together 'a really good deal'.
'I said I needed to get the money first ... and he said "I'll get it to you later". He kept on saying "I'll have the money in two days to you".'
The money never eventuated, the deal fell through, and the antiques were sold at auction.
Then there was the unpaid dog groomer.
'This was even more bizarre. Alford had a beautiful golden retriever and one of his assistants, a young girl, would take it to Carrie, the dog groomer.'
Carrie Montgomery operates one of Charleston's most stylish grooming business called The Dog Wash, in the city's historical downtown area.
'The assistant would always pay with her (personal) credit card to Carrie and when she found out the assistant wasn't being paid back, she told the girl "you're not paying me any more".
'Tim absolutely lost his mind at this and then said "it's ridiculous how much you charge" and paid her nothing.
'Next thing he came to me ... and said "we're going to open a dog grooming business".
'Tim told me he would be the investor and that would show Carrie he could run a dog grooming business. He left town right after that.'
Mr Brockbank at first believed Alford may have gone to Dubai, but later learnt via his direct Instagram messages that Alford was in South America.
'Hell ... owing money in countries like Colombia and Dubai, they'll straight up chop his head off,' he said.