JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man accused of conning several women out of thousands of dollars could be returned from California to Jacksonville soon to face charges.
Friend Rizkkhalil, 50, was arrested in Los Angeles on Tuesday and faced an extradition hearing Friday. Prosecutors said he defrauded one Jacksonville woman, encouraging her to sell her Jacksonville home and stealing $59,000 of the proceeds. They said he also took $10,000 from her savings account.
Investigators said it's not uncommon for someone to believe the word of a charming person and not know they are being taken until its too late.
Last week, Fatemah Jahromi was in tears as she told News4Jax how the man conned her out of her life savings. She met him in August, and within months convinced her to sell her home, pack up all the things and move in with him.
Instead of the promised relationship, he drove off with everything she owned and the proceeds of the sale of her house. Hearing that authorities caught Rizkkhalil, who she knew as Fred Ramsey, the tears changed to joy.
"I was so happy I couldn’t talk. I got that message that they (caught) him and he’s in jail -- that he is arrested," Jahromi said.
Jahromi and her 14-year-old son are living with a friend. She is not sure if she will be able to recover any of her past life or the thousands of dollars she said Rizkkhalil stole from her.
John Zipperer, the lead investigator in the case, said Jahromi is far from alone.. He knows of three other local victims who have recently come forward, one who lost more than $100,000.
"It’s the same situation. He meets them; he woos them, (says) he’s rich and famous, he works for the CIA," Zipperer said. "He ... gradually work (his) way into their lines, takes over the finances, convinces them to sell their property, convinces him to sell the vehicles. It’s the same scenario every time.
Zipperer said RIzkkhal is very controlling and the victims said they are afraid of him. He hopes that since he is now behind bars, more women will now come forward. Any victim who had any contact with this smooth-talking Egyptian man is asked to call the State Attorney's Office at 904-255-2500.
As for Jahromi, she said trusting someone in the future is going to be difficult.
"Don’t trust anybody," Jahromi advised.