Simon Staff, Bristol, UK
Simon Staff is a con-man who used to reside in Long Ashton, Bristol, UK. He has lived on Isla De Margarita since 2003. In 2007 he bought a penthouse that needed considerable work for 11000 Euros. At the time Margarita was in a housing boom so the sale price became much higher. The con-man ran out of money and approached Eddie Price to invest to buy 50%. Eddie paid for a refurbishment including 3 new toilets, new ceramic tiles inside and outside. Mr Staff agreed to sell the apartment after 4 years of investment and give Eddie Price his half of the proceeds. With the exchange rate of the period Eddie handed over $41500 to Mr Staff during this period. At the end of 4 years Eddie had become tired of Isla De Margarita and the disaster facing Venezuela due to the legacy of Hugo Chavez. Inflation was spiraling out of control, foreign businesses had been appropriated, and foreigners were largely gone by 2012.
Simon Staff had hatched a plan to cajole Eddie into giving him as much investment as possible. After 4 years Eddie asked him to fulfill his part of the bargain as he flew back to friends and family in the UK. It was at this point that Simon Staff cut off all ties, not answering emails or phone calls in the knowledge Eddie had not signed a contract or had keys to the apartment. Their agreement was based on years of friendship Simon had forged to to carry out his scam.
Simon meanwhile would cancel his social media accounts and would tell old acquaintances that Eddie had left and was no longer interested in him and the apartment. A month before Eddie left he had the apartment valued by a real estate company and they found it to be worth $79000. Simon was well aware of the valuation and the market showed no signs of collapsing which it would do about 2 years later. He was well aware that by defrauding Mr Price he would be the sole benefactor of approximately $80,000.
If you meet Simon Staff on Isla De Margarita bear in mind that he is an experience con-man and despite his charm he is an expert in extracting money any way he can from victims. Even his Mother called him Bullshit Boy due to his propensity to steal from the family.
