Inside the minds of the men and women who romance…
Money can buy a lot of issues but love has never been one of them, and a cushion of money doesn’t come with a facet order of common sense.
Hustlers can sense a fats pockets from miles away and the ultra-slick are always prepared to help the ultra-rich half with their {dollars}.
The latest alleged instance got here this week in a lawsuit from widow Marianne Flippo, who is hauling ice-blonde escort Gregg Starr to court, claiming he ripped her off to the tune of $6 million.
Marianne Flippo and Gregg Starr attended rirtzy events together, but now they are going to be assembly in a courtroom. Jason Lowrie/BFA.com/Shutterstock
Gigolo Starr, 38, labored for the Cowboys4Angels escort service, and was employed by Flippo for companionship after the death of her husband Chad Flippo, a software program developer who helped create Roblox but died by suicide in 2024.
Her lawsuit claims Starr — who underwent in depth cosmetic surgery to obtain what has been described as his “Maxoris” icy stare and sculpted abs — manipulated her by declaring his love, then telling her the only means they could possibly be together was for her to buy out his $10 million contract.
The grievance alleges Flippo, 49, was plied with alcohol in a Four Seasons Hotel room, while “under the influence of multiple prescription medications,” when she then signed tens of millions over to Starr.
Gregg Starr’s fabulous physique is the product cosmetic surgery. It could have contributed to the wooing of Marianne Flippo. Instagram/jasonemermd
Starr has claimed allegations of coercion are “not true at all” and his attorneys, Todd Spodek and Jeremy Feigenbaum, told The Post, “The allegations could also be salacious, but two consenting adults are free to conduct a personal relationship on phrases they both agreed to.
“We have extensive written, audio and video evidence that supports the legitimacy of the relationship and tells a very different story.”
The full reality shall be revealed in court, but Flippo displayed all the hallmarks of a individual ripe for taking benefit of, an professional explained to The Post.
Sometimes, when one thing appears too good to be true, it’s. The dopamine takes over and it’s exhausting to assume rationally. Jason Lowrie/BFA.com/Shutterstock
“[Hustlers] look for somebody who has psychological need and vulnerabilities,” psychiatrist Dr. David Puder told The Post. “If you have enough money, you have a target on your back. And the more money, the bigger the target. Then, if you’re naïve and you have a lot of money, you are very susceptible. And by naïve, I mean that you’ve just never been burned before.”
Such conditions regularly come up when people are at their most fragile.
“The things that make someone a good partner also make them susceptible to a romance scam: empathy, loyalty, the capacity to attach.”
Then, he added, “These are all weaponized by the wrong person, who has the dark tetrad: Narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism and sadism.”
Such narcissists are more common than people notice, and every bit as ruthless as you’d anticipate.
Describing a rogue romantic who prowls the western United States, Alexis Henderson told The Post: “He’ll prey on weak women, normally who work in tech and are nearing their breaking factors of frustration with relationships.
Gregg Starr had the physique that made him a worthy runway model for a line of swimsuits. WireImage
“This guy is relatively good looking, but his personality is so engaging that he really makes the women feel special. They’ll go to a bar, he’ll engage a table full of strangers and put the woman at the center of the whole thing.”
The cad is a skilled, with seducing women his life’s work, Henderson said.
“Early on his in his life, this man decided that he never wanted to work for a living. He devoted himself to living off women and recognized the kinds of women who would be susceptible to him. They fly him around the country, put him up in expensive hotels. They tend to be bright, lonely and well off.”
When David Geffen and his onetime husband David Armstrong, aka Donavan Michaels, entered into divorce proceedings, issues obtained rocky. Instagram
Adva Lavie, aka Mia Ventura, made it on OnlyFans and caught the consideration of law enforcement. Getty Images
Usually, he’ll counsel getting a canine, as that creates an ambiance of domesticity and makes it tougher for the girl to cut up. “This is very targeted,” said Henderson. “He’s incredibly intentional, very intelligent and knows how to play the psychological game.”
“One person gave him half of a lake house. He gets actual cash and, when he can, he convinces the woman that he knows about stock trading. Then he gets her to open an account. Of course, it’s all in his name.”
The hustler’s relationships last wherever from a couple months to a couple years, before he strikes on according to Henderson.
Puder provides such characters also use love bombing as a tactic.
“It’s regular to idealize somebody early on in a relationship, but when the idealization turns into very intense early on, it will probably really feel like the relationship is a once-in-a-lifetime alternative.
David Armstrong, aka Donavan Michaels, has told The Post that he and his billionaire ex are “still good friends.” Donovan Michaels / Facebook
Adva Lavie and Stephen Cloobeck had a date set for their wedding ceremony in Israel., No longer.. Courtesy of Stephen Cloobeck
Billionaire Stephen Cloobeck, according to a pal, “still cares about” his ex-fiancee despite her legal entanglements. Dave Buchan for CA Post
“Sometimes, under those circumstances, all of our attachment systems rev up. Oxytocin and dopamine are all there, and the skeptical side of the brain, the frontal lobe, slows down.”
Even billionaires who have been shrewd, considered and robust negotiators in their skilled lives have ended up embroiled in messy legal circumstances against lovers who raised eyebrows among their social set.
Entertainment mogul David Geffen, 83, is estimated to be value $9 billion but turned mired in a messy divorce with Donavan Michaels (whose real identify is David Armstrong). Armstrong individually introduced a breach of contract lawsuit against his ex-spouse following their 2025 cut up, in which he claimed their first assembly was a tryst for which Geffen paid him $10,000.
In legal paperwork, Armstrong alleged Geffen demanded an excessive intercourse life, one in which he “gained satisfaction from causing pain” and sought “total dominion” over Armstrong, who is 50 years his junior. Geffen’s attorneys accused ex-porn star Armstrong of exploiting his husband of less than two years’ generosity, with wild purchasing sprees, lavish journeys and OnlyFans subscriptions.
The two men settled both circumstances, with the phrases of their agreements not made public. Incredibly, despite the hole between them in internet value, they didn’t have a prenup.
According to Armstrong, despite some mudslinging in court, issues ended on a congenial notice — and they even reunited on Geffen’s yacht. “David and I are still good friends to this day,” he told The Post, noting he’s now pursuing an performing profession. “He’s done a lot of great things in my life. There is real love in this world.”
Adva Lavie, aka Mia Ventura, is in legal scorching water and out of Stepen Cloobeck’s ritzy digs. Facebook/Queen Mia
In another case, California-based billionaire businessman Stephen Cloobeck, 64, obtained concerned with Adva Lavie, 29, a former Penthouse Pet who had already been criminally charged with allegedly romance-scamming rich men before she met him.
Israeli native Lavie — also identified as Mia Ventura, and a distinguished OnlyFans star – has pleaded not guilty to felony counts of grand theft, housebreaking and unauthorized use of personal figuring out info.
Cloobeck maintained for a long time he knew Lavie better than anybody and was serving to her struggle her case. The two have been even scheduled to be married in Israel, until a decide denied her permission to depart the US.
Lavie’s bail was revoked after she ditched her ankle monitor, and while in custody authorities have said they’ve additional potential circumstances involving her in Hermosa Beach, Nevada, Florida, Italy and France. She is at the moment awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, cops are investigating whether or not she had also been drugging Cloobeck with ketamine.
Still, despite all that, a individual close to the pair told The Post Cloobeck remained pleasant with his former fiancée and “still cares about Adva.”
Such habits will not be unusual according to Puder, who said he often sees people “going back, even after they believe they had been taken advantage of.”
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