‘Walter Mitty’ ex-footballer who hosted parties with Hollywood stars Mike Tyson, Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone is jailed for fraud after ripping off firms promoting Conor McGregor event and 60,000 fans who paid £336 to see Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Stephen Oleksewycz was jailed for 27 months after his company was exposed
A former footballer who hosted parties with Hollywood stars including Al Pacino, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone has been jailed for fraud.
Conman Stephen Oleksewycz – who used to play for National League side Halifax Town – faces 27 months behind bars, while he was also ordered to pay his victims £69,000 within three months.
Oleksewycz ran a fraudulent company called ‘An Experience With…’ where he mixed with the likes of football legend Paul Gascoigne, boxing great Mike Tyson and award-winning actor Mel Gibson – whose anti-Semitic rants ostracised him from much of Hollywood.
But his business was exposed after Oleksewycz – who has been described as a ‘Walter Mitty’ character – was caught out for ripping off firms involved in promoting a night with MMA star Conor McGregor in 2017, The Sun reports.
Event organisers revealed how they had not received any payment just 24 hours before 5,000 fans descended on a live show in Manchester.
Stephen Oleksewycz has been jailed for 27 months after his fraudlent company which hosted black tie events was exposed. Here he is pictured with Sylvester Stallone
Oleksewycz (right) ran a fraudulent company called ‘An Experience With…’ where he mixed with high-profile names including actor Mel Gibson (left)
Prosecutor Holly Clegg said: ‘An Experience With . . . was an events business that specialised in delivering online and live events with various celebrities.
‘The event that ultimately led to these offences being prosecuted related to a large-scale event that featured the Irish mixed martial artist, Conor McGregor.’
Oleksewycz, who was a footballer, a DJ and an events promoter in Greece before setting up his business, should not have been hosting events because he had been declared bankrupt. An Experience With wound up voluntarily in June 2017.
‘Throughout the relevant period, the defendant deliberately concealed his disqualified status from various service providers until after the event had taken place and the debts had already been accrued,’ Ms Clegg added.
‘In order to ensure the event went ahead, despite him not having the money to pay the service providers, he presented fraudulent documentation.’
Oleksewycz – who is still named as director of An Experience With… on his LinkedIn profile – filed fake paperwork to live streaming business Groovy Gecko and conference venue EventCity in a bid to con them into proceeding with the event.
Despite the companies flagging concerns about the remittance notices, they never received payment from the fraudulent firm.
Oleksewycz should not have been hosting events because he had been declared bankrupt. Here, he is pictured with Robert De Niro
Oleksewycz also mixed with the likes of boxing great Mike Tyson before his company was finally exposed
His business was exposed after he was caught out for ripping off firms involved in promoting a night with MMA star Conor McGregor in Manchester in 2017. Pictured: McGregor in Manchester in January 2017
Ms Clegg added that ‘no money was ever received by Groovy Gecko’ while ‘the remittance notices were found to be fake’.
EventCity experienced ‘directly comparable’ treatment.
Oleksewycz – a married father-of-two – had previously pleaded guilty to obtaining services dishonestly and working as a company director whilst bankrupt.
The conman was also responsible for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s failed fitness festival last September.
Some 60,000 ticket holders who had coughed up £336 believing the Terminator actor would be a guest, were let down.
He cancelled just hours before the festival after his spokesman Brian Powers said: ‘Financial obligations to a variety of people had not been met.’
