Moscow
Moscow police this week busted a ring of African con men who bilked Russians out of tens of thousands of dollars by posing as African dignitaries. The four men claimed to be relatives of an African minister who needed to smuggle money into Russia in a diplomatic pouch. They hit up Russians for large sums of money, ostensibly to bribe embassy officials. As proof of their story, they took the Russians to the airport to pick up the elaborately dressed, gold-bedecked “African diplomat.” Police said the men based their dress and mannerisms on the flashy performances of Eddie Murphy and James Earl Jones, who played an African prince and king in the film Coming to America. The men have been charged with fraud and face six years in prison.
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