A Marietta author of a fantasy trilogy and accused of swindling women out of millions of dollars is scheduled to enter a guilty plea Tuesday in federal court in Atlanta, his lawyer said.
Mitchell Gross, 61, was indicted last year on wire fraud and money laundering charges for bilking a Florida real estate agent out of $3 million. Before that, prosecutors said, he did the same thing to an Atlanta lawyer he’d lived with for more than a decade, bilking her out of $1.4 million.
Gross' lawyer, Jerry Froelich, declined to say Thursday what his client would plead guilty to. Final plea negotiations were being ironed out, he said.
Gross first met Robbie Johnson, the Florida real estate agent, on Jdate, the online dating service for Jewish singles in search of life-long partners. She sold “equestrian” properties and luxury homes.
He told her Steven Spielberg had optioned three of his murder mysteries, according to outlines of what happened in three years of federal court filings by Johnson. Filming and production had already begun with actors Pierce Brosnan, Alan Rickman and Kirsten Dunst cast in starring roles, he said. Yet another book was optioned with Bruce Willis and Diane Lane in the lead roles.
But none of that was true. Nor was it true what he wrote about himself inside his books: that he held a doctorate in neuropsychology and was once a member of the U.S. National Fencing Squad, having won more than 35 titles worldwide.
Gross and Johnson would first meet face to face June 14, 2006. He told her he felt like he’d known her for decades, that he was taken with her, according to court records. He said he believed they’d be married and live together forever.
They both agreed to remove their profiles from Jdate. He took her to meet his family; she held “meet Mitch” parties for her friends and agreed to remodel her son’s room to make an office for him. They went on ritzy vacations to Japan, Brazil and Panama.
Just as Gross hoped and planned, Johnson fell in love with him, she said in court filings.
Within 18 months, the federal indictment alleges, Gross had swindled her out of almost $3 million.
Gross, a former Georgia lawyer who was later disbarred, has a prior conviction in Cobb County for insurance fraud for filing an auto accident claim listing himself and his father as victims. But his father wasn’t in the car. In fact, he wasn’t even alive. Gross was sentenced to only probation.
Before Gross met Johnson, he lived with Jane Schlachter, an Atlanta domestic relations lawyer. Gross had also begun his fantasy trilogy under the pen name “Mitchell Graham.” The trilogy was published between 2003 and 2005 by a HarperCollins imprint. He dedicated the first book, “The Fifth Ring,” to Schlachter -- “For Jane, who is all my reasons.”
The recent federal indictment against Gross accuses him of conning Schlachter out of $1.4 million much the same way he allegedly swindled Johnson.
According to federal prosecutors, Gross’ scam went like this: He told his lovers he was independently wealthy, thanks largely to his broker, Michael Johnson of The Merrill Company. Johnson invested funds through a special bond program that provided safe and profitable returns, Gross said.
Gross, while defrauding Robbie Johnson, went to great lengths to convince her that Michael Johnson was legitimate, prosecutors said. On one occasion, he gave her the broker’s phone number and told her to call him. He warned her about the broker’s unusual voice, the result of having his larynx removed due to throat cancer.
When she placed the call, Gross -- not Michael Johnson -- was on the line. Gross was using a pre-paid phone and a device that disguised his voice, the indictment said. Later, Gross showed Robbie Johnson fake IRS forms that falsely reported the dividend and interest income she earned.
In April 2007, Gross told her he’d asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to audit Michael Johnson’s investment business. He gave her a letter, with a fake SEC letterhead, from the office of general counsel that said it found no irregularities, the indictment said.
“Michael Johnson himself has testified before the U.S. Congress on at least six separate occasions, not only for this agency but the Justice Department as well,” the letter said. “In addition, he has been a senior member of the Council [sic] of Economic Advisers [sic] to four presidents and enjoys tremendous respect within the industry.”
All completely false, federal prosecutors said.
By March 2008, Robbie Johnson finally figured out she had been duped by Gross. Days later, she filed a federal lawsuit seeking to recover her lost investments. Months later, Gross reached a settlement in which he admitted to defrauding Johnson and also signed a $2.94 million consent judgment against him, court records say.
As of last fall, according to court filings, Johnson had received just $12,000. Johnson’s lawyers say Gross had all the while continued to live a lavish lifestyle and hidden his assets.
About the Author
