Paul Carter Paul Carter stole
millions from his victims. But what makes this case unique is that Carter stole from
the ones he supposedly loved most: his family. Various ex-wives, his former fiancee, and even
his own mother were all conned by Carter, not to mention several businesses and other individuals
Carter, also known as Paul Cristallo, denied all accusations,
arguing that it was all a revenge plot from disgruntled relatives and exes. After
stealing from more than four ex-lovers, he became known as the “Casanova Conman.”
In the 1990s, the Cristallo family had a company called Alpine Concepts, which was dedicated
to snow gear. As the company expanded, so did Carter’s taste for the finer things. He bought
fast luxury cars and racked up thousands in debt by racing and repairing them. At that point, the
family realized that their debts were worth more than their assets, so the company tried to up its
worth by moving to a bigger building with better machinery, more employees, and flashy cars to
improve efficiency and reputation. But it quickly became clear that the business was failing.
The business was forced into liquidation. Carter’s mother,
Gianna Cristallo, was forced to forfeit her house. She was left homeless and broke. It
destroyed her marriage to Carter’s late father, Giovanni Cristallo.
After the failed business endeavors and his parent's divorce,
he changed his last name from Cristallo to Carter. He used this name to start
a new life and reinvented himself as a prominent builder from a wealthy family.
That’s when he gained the confidence to swindle exes and businesses out of their
savings. He lied his way into becoming the CEO of Uniting Housing Victoria, a church charity
group that helps fight homelessness. He used the position to enrich himself and then ran
the organization into the ground, leaving it on the brink of collapse. He also refused to
pay several construction businesses after using their services, leaving their hard work unpaid.
Casanova Conman For many of his victims, Carter
was a mystery and a liar. His entire persona was built on lies. He conned women by saying he was a
multimillionaire property developer with excellent financial literacy. Carter convinced his lovers to
turn over their financial assets to him, promising to increase the value of their investments. Beyond
the stealing, it came out that Carter had a mean streak too. One allegation states that Carter
hired a hitman to eliminate his then-fiancee, Katherine DuBois, after discovering that his wife,
who he claimed died of bone cancer, was still alive and well in the United States.
It’s no wonder Carter is called the Casanova Conman since most of his victims include
female ex-partners. A casanova, defined as a man known for seducing women and having many lovers,
was something Carter was definitely proud to put on his resume. Now in his fourth marriage,
all of his previous lovers fell prey to his charm and confidence,
trusting that he would do what was best for their financial assets. Little did they know
that Carter’s romance and intelligence were all a lie and a ploy to afford a luxurious
lifestyle. But at some point, he couldn't keep track of the fake stories he created.
Fawkner Property As if his family hadn’t been
through enough, Carter struck again. This time, he targeted his mother’s partner in Melbourne,
the sick and ailing Jim Quattrocelli, convincing him to surrender his home
and land as a retirement investment. The property and land were valued at $600,000.
Carter promised that he would build three townhouses, with one for Quattrocelli,
who was a hardworking Italian immigrant all his life. Carter said this new home would be fully
furnished and accessible, the perfect home for an older person hoping to downgrade and
take care of himself. Carter gave him fake legal documents to get Quattrocelli to sign the home's
title and land over to him. Quattrocelli spoke limited English and believed Carter.
Once he had the deed, Carter used it to take out the maximum amount in loans. He bulldozed
the home and put down three concrete slabs, making it look like he was about to begin a
big construction project. As soon as he got his loan money, he fled the country.
Cristallo and her partner were left with next to nothing. Instead of living out their golden
years with retirement savings and financial security, they were stuck paying rent and
living off their pensions. Cristallo said she would never forgive her son.
Wives' Accounts With all the lies he told,
it’s hard to keep track of who Paul Carter was. But one thing that’s for sure, he was a notorious
ladies man. He met his first wife, Elise Ryan, in the late 1980s. Ten years later, he abandoned
her and their three children. He now owes her more than $150,000 in child support payments.
One year later, he married his second wife. True to pattern,
he left her after twelve months together. In 2002, Carter sent his future third wife a fake
RSVP dating profile and quickly impressed her with his phony resume and intelligence. He married the
multimillionaire Brooklin Facey and had a son with her. Carter earned the trust of Brooklin’s father,
Andrew Facey, a prominent Melbourne landowner. Carter fleeced him out of $2 million while
married to Brooklin and used the money for sports cars and luxury mansions in Australia and the US.
In 2014, Brooklin and Carter were living together happily when he flew back to Melbourne to propose
to a new woman, Katherine DeBois. DeBois had no idea that Carter was already married,
especially since he had previously told her that his wife had died of brain cancer. In
the years after, Carter’s relationship with fiancee DeBois and wife Brooklin
dissolved. Brooklin now knows that their relationship was built on lies.
But Carter didn’t stop there. In 2019, he married his fourth wife, a lawyer named Kelly Sayers.
When Brooklin met Carter in 2002, his dating profile said he was a childfree,
single, multimillionaire. She quickly fell for him. He was charming, romantic,
smart, and kind. Brooklin thought he was too good to be true. They got married in 2003.
Unbeknownst to her, Carter had already been married twice and
had three children in Melbourne. He asked to borrow money from Brooklin and her wealthy
father while he said he was waiting for his inheritance from a wealthy European
relative. He showed her bank statements and other documents to prove that he was,
in fact, rich and waiting for more money. All of these documents were totally fake.
Brooklin and her father loaned him some cash, but he never paid them back. In 2014,
tensions mounted over unpaid loans. Brooklin and her family were owed more than $2 million. Carter
suggested they move the family to the US. He sent Brooklin and their son over to the states while
he finished up some business deals in Australia. Then, he met his next victim, Katherine DeBois.
Brooklin found out about her husband’s new woman when her son showed her a photo and
asked about the mysterious woman in engagement photos with his father. Brooklin was mortified.
When she confronted Carter about ending the marriage, he went into tantrum,
threatening to take her down with him. Now, she and her son sleep with weapons
next to their beds, just in case Carter ever comes knocking again.
Meanwhile, DeBois thought she finally found her Prince Charming. 12 weeks after they met online,
they were engaged. He gave her a 3.5-carat ring, and they held a $250,000 engagement
party at the Melbourne State Library in 2014. DeBois wore a beautiful dress with
jewels draped around her wrist. Little did she know that those jewels, which Carter gave her,
were all fake. Carter continued to shower her with gifts and drove her
around in flashy sports cars. He told her that she was the love of his life.
DeBois had no idea that Carter was married. He told her that his previous wife had passed
eight years before of brain cancer. He went so far as to tell DeBois about his
wife’s final moments, talking about her rotten breath and hollow, sunken eyes.
It wasn’t long before Carter asked his new fiancee for money. He sneakily
charged the engagement party to her, and it got worse from there.
DeBois told him that her beauty salon would be bought out by the Australian government soon.
After their engagement, Carter convinced DeBois to sign over the rights of the salon to him so that
he, the self-proclaimed successful businessman, could negotiate a payout on her behalf.
DeBois was stressed by the process and continually worked with a team of lawyers. She was confused
why Carter, a supposed multimillionaire, was interested in her $300,000 government payout.
Two weeks after their lavish engagement party,
DeBois received a Facebook message saying that Carter’s wife was still alive. She was shocked.
Paul Hamilton Carter found a
reason to change his name again, this time to Paul Hamilton. As if Carter didn’t make
an enemy out of women everywhere, he was able to marry a fourth time to a new woman,
Kelly Sayers, who vows to defend him to the bitter end. The best part? They met
because Sayers was his divorce lawyer who—you guessed it—Carter couldn’t afford to pay.
The couple moved to Albany, New York, where Carter worked as a self-employed tradie.
They drive matching black and white Mercedes sedans despite living in a modest townhouse.
When the media reached out to Carter, he admitted to lying about his third wife’s
death. He also admitted to lying about supposed European inheritance money. But
then he got aggressive and denied taking money from the women he was involved with.
But beyond his ex-lovers, he stole money from church organizations and housing for
the disabled. His new wife, Sayers, stood by her man and said that the other women were
just jealous now that he'd moved on from them. According to Carter, neither the US
nor Australian governments have approached him about the allegations, so they must not be true.
Aftermath The Casanova
Conman was finally arrested and spent two nights in a detention facility before
being released on house arrest with a GPS ankle bracelet. The criminal case
against Carter involves taking advantage of an immigration law loophole when the
State Department refused to renew his visa. A complaint filed by the Department of Homeland
Security said that Carter denies ever going by any other names or being arrested. But
there are records of him being arrested in Australia for growing 12 marijuana plants.
When agents interviewed Carter, he admitted to overstaying his
visa and going through the process of changing his name to Paul Hamilton.
In May 2022, Carter went on trial and was ordered to pay a meager $5,000 fine after pleading guilty
to visa fraud. While this crime would typically cause someone like Carter to be deported,
his marriage to a US citizen might keep him safe for now. He's already applied to stay
in the country. His new wife received a job offer in Australia, and the couple requested permission
to relocate there. Carter needs this marriage to work; his life, quite literally, depends on it.
He will be arrested and confronted with severe allegations if he returns to
Australia. His third wife, Brooklin, doesn’t think anyone will ever see the money he stole
from them. The best she can hope for is that karma will put Carter in prison for life.
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