A CONMAN travelled the world posing as a series of millionaire businessmen whose names he picked from the Times Rich List and Forbes magazine, writes Richard Edwards.
In RADO Replica the style of Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the film Catch Me If You Can, Youssef Babbou, 49, enjoyed nights in top hotels, hired Mercedes and BMW cars, bought Rolex watches and De Beers diamonds and spent more than Pounds 20,000 at Harrods.
Today Babbou, a Tunisian, was jailed for four years after pleading guilty at Croydon Crown Court.
Brendan Morris, prosecuting, said Babbou had admitted obtaining Pounds 117,000 in goods and services and attempting to obtain Pounds 100,000.
The court heard that Babbou had posed as author Dennis Bakke - a friend of former US president Bill Clinton - as Brass Rings well as a Las Vegas casino boss. He had applied for duplicate credit cards in the names of his rich victims and duped American Express into sending them to addresses he supplied.
Judge Stephen Waller ordered that Babbou be deported on his release.
