Last week Lovefraud posted a new True Lovefraud Story about a con artist named Dennis SanSeverino. The creep pretended to be loving and rich long enough to convince his victim to trust him. Then he took her home and inheritance.
This story is a classic case of a sociopath targeting the vulnerable.
When the victim, Trish Rynn, met SanSeverino, she had just endured a difficult breakup with her boyfriend. In the months that they got to know each other—Rynn initially refused his many dinner invitations—he must have been listening intently as she chatted about her life. Rynn’s ex-husband was physically abusive. After the marriage ended, Rynn spent 10 years in court fighting child custody and child support battles. The strain sent her into clinical depression, from which she was just beginning to recover.
Rynn was vulnerable, and SanSeverino was attracted like a shark to blood in the water.
SanSeverino started taking Rynn’s money—under the guise of helping her, of course. When Rynn found herself in serious debt due to him, she slipped back into depression. That’s when SanSeverino took her house and the rest of her inheritance.
Sad stories made worse
Lovefraud has heard these truly sad stories over and over again: Grief-stricken people who have lost a spouse or a child, and then lose their insurance settlement to a sociopath. Disabled people who are targeted because they get a minimal subsidy from the government. People struggling to care for someone else—like children or elderly parents—who learn that the assistance promised by a sociopath makes their burdens worse.
And then there are the lonely. Anyone who is lonely for any reason is walking target for a sociopath.
Vigilance when vulnerable
It’s sad, really. When we have problems and need help, we want to be able to trust that offers of assistance are real. When we’re looking for companionship, we want to be able to believe that the person pursuing us is sincere.
But the truth is that when we’re vulnerable, we need to be especially vigilant. Sociopaths are predators, and wounded prey make for an easy kill.
LL,
Sounds like you are right on track and doing great. It is good and healthy to get angry and will keep you out of denial. But let the bracelets go. Material things are replaceable. You got your life back, and that is worth more than any material things. You might be able to sue him in court, but I don’t know if it’s worth the aggravation. You could always get a lawyer to send a real official looking letter stating that he should return the jewelry or you will pursue legal remedy. It might work. But frankly, after hearing how disgusting the spath is, I wouldn’t want to get near him with a 10-foot pole. Considering some people here lost hundreds of thousands, I’d say you got out easy.
Roxy, that story about your ex lying about the comcast bill needs to be in the “Dumb sociopaths” blog. LOL Good one! Looks like you have woken up and smelled the coffee, chica!
Bullheart and Candy, congrats on your 6 weeks and 5 months (repectively) of No Contact. If there were any way to throw a party here, we would!
Oxy, you have a plane???? How did I miss that detail? I remember the story about the guy. If I ever visit with my boas, we can reenact Snakes on a Plane!
Star, Nah, I sold the last little plane last fall, it was the last one my husband bought before he died and restored to like new condition…cute little plane…should have sold it long ago but was too involved with the other chaos in my life…just my friend’s one plane still here at our little air strip…mostly just a smooth pasture now and mowed for hay. I really did enjoy going out with the guy (he had come by to look at the plane when it was for sale. His brother lives near here and he frequently visited this area) but when he wanted to take the plane up ILLEGALLY and just kept insisting on it like a 15 year old without a driver’s license begging his daddy to let him drive the family car…”I won’t wreck it, I promise, all my friends get to drive their daddy’s cars.” LOL DUH!
Just really ODD that he stopped by today and the comment about his new marriage….DUH???? WTF is going on with the guy. Heck I didn’t sleep with the guy when I was dating him, did he think that now that he was married I’d be interested? LOL Or want to console him? Just a straaaaange encounter. Well, I doubt I will ever see him again. As he was leaving I stuck my hand out to shake hands with him and said, “well, if you buy my friend’s plane, let me know.” (sort of like saying, OTHERWISE DON’T BOTHER TO CALL HERE AGAIN. LOL)
There does seem to be something unsavory about him, Oxy. Sounds like it was more than just a friendly visit; he definitely wanted something from you.
I still can’t get over you have/had a landing strip and planes on your property!
OMG!
ROBYXS…that Comcast story was a classic! How funny!
It is such a perfect example of how they use the qualities you value against you in an effort to manipulate you.
Here is a corollary to your story( Ox has heard this)…
All I ever asked for was honesty from my man. Pretty simple.
Well, while he lived with me he would disappear to my elderly and frail neighbor’s house to do odd jobs. He said.
And then there was this hot little divorcee who took to walking by my house every day.
My sense was that he was having sex with these two women. Which he vehemently denied and became enraged about. In fact, the first time he tried to strangle me was when he returned from the neighbor’s house and I confronted him about it.
Anyway, I had tried to break things off with him recently. He came begging back using all manner of promises and empty apologies.
Then he brought out the power play…he said, “I know you value honesty and maybe if I come clean, you will trust me again…”
And he admitted to having sex with both women while I was at work. And with the divorcee? In my house!
So he took what I held to be of value..honesty…and twisted it around to get me to do something he wanted….take him back.
For me, that began NC.
Similar manipulation to the Comcast story. Though with not as much good payback.
Dear Trimama,
Good for you !!!!!! The few times they are “honest” with us they use it to convince us the LIES ARE ALSO THE TRUTH….like “I’m sorry”—do NOT BELIEVE them! EVen when they tell the truth it is used to twist the other lies.
I’m glad that you are NC because it is the only safe way to deal with these people. (((hugs)))
That’s rich, trimama! You are supposed to be so happy about him telling the truth that you will overlook his cheating. Very clever.
Did he really get it on with the frail, elderly neighbor? Dang! Even the elderly are getting more action than I am! (Sorry, don’t mean to make light of your situation).
like your comcast story Roxy!
love the backhanded niceties so prevalent in post-break contact.
my spath really made me think i was crazy for awhile during our first break a couple years ago. all my good qualities became hindrances and my bad ones, well they really became hindrances!
i have sufferred from depression all my life and him using that against me was the worst: I was the sick one not him! me being sad about his behavior was MY fault, part of my melancholia… and i halfway believed it. enough to “work on myself” to be with him again. yuck.
It’s okay, Stargazer!
I thought exactly as you do…that his play was just so twisted,
it was humorous!
And the exaggerated look of contrition on his face WAS rich!
I had to hold back the guffaw!
What I said in reply was that I knew all that stuff (which was true), and that what I was looking for was some clarity around all the other hook ups—with women AND men.
That kind of cooled the Grammy performance.
And it is so true that he offers little shreds of honesty to mislead from the larger truths.
I am not the only one he does this with. You all know that. And the damage he does to his life and to everyone his life touches is profound.
But thanks to all of you, the damage he can do to mine is now minimized thanks to NC!
Thanks, Jessica!
Well, at least I know that when I am much older and more frail, I don’t have to be committed to a life of celibacy. I can just seek out the local sociopath. (Again, my twisted sense of humor). At that point I will probably have nothing he can take from me, unless he wants my Medicare.