Convicted NY serial scammer accused of targeting victims in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- An infamous scam artist who was convicted of multiple frauds in New York in the 1980s is now accused of targeting a new round of victims in Los Angeles.

David Bloom, once known as the "Wall Street Whiz Kid," is facing multiple counts of securities fraud and theft, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Tuesday.

Among his alleged victims was Caroline D'Amore, a reality TV star and the founder of Pizza Girl, which makes a variety of organic pasta sauces. She has posted multiple times on her Instagram account warning the public about the 59-year-old Bloom.

"He knew I was a struggling single mom going through a divorce and had her heart set on becoming a businesswoman in the food space," D'Amore said at a press conference with Gascón. "He had all the answers for me. to others he was a grandson, a best friend, a husband who loved you more than anyone in the world. This man has no boundaries he will not cross to scam you."

D'Amore says she lost $35,000 to Bloom and is now speaking out.

The two both lived at Villa Carlotta, an apartment building on Franklin in Hollywood where D'Amore says Bloom scammed most of his nine Los Angeles victims.

"He actually came over to me at the pool. He said that he had heard about my product. He had gone to the supermarket to buy my product. He was very blown away by it. He was telling me he wanted to mentor me and possibly invest in my company. He sent me and my business partners on a trip to Texas to meet the CEO of Whole Foods who I thought I had spoken to on the phone. He went so far as to have someone impersonate this man to me. So no, I don't feel stupid that I fell for it. I feel human," said D'Amore.

Bloom was charged and convicted on fraud charges in New York back in 1988, serving eight years in federal prison. And then he was charged again once he got out, serving an additional five years.

He was known for promising to make people money, selling them stocks he did not own. He was eventually barred from the securities industry for life.

But moving to Los Angeles apparently didn't change Bloom. He now faces nine counts of fraud and nine counts of grand theft for allegedly taking nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

'This is an individual who's a predator," Gascón said. "He's been preying on victims, vulnerable people all his life and he came to LA to do the same thing here. They take advantage of any of us and they generally pick us at a moment of vulnerability. They come to you in a way that you feel like you're personally connected to this individual."

District Attorney George Gascon says he believes there's more victims. Under the current charges, Bloom faces up to 14 years in prison.