A New Jersey woman is singing a tale of woe about being scammed by opera-loving fraudster Alberto Vilar.
Robin Sayko — who is Vilar’s cousin by marriage — filed court papers today seeking to force the feds to cough up more than $274,000 forfeited by the crooked financier.
Sayko, of Colts Neck, claims the smooth-talking con man tricked her into leaving the money in his care after the 1995 death of her step-mother, Cele Kohl, who was Vilar’s aunt.
Kohl had more than $1 million invested with Vilar’s investment firm that she left to Sayko and her three siblings, the Manhattan court filing says.
Vilar — a philanthropist who was among the Metropolitan Opera’s biggest donors — allegedly told Sayko “that it was her step-mother’s wish that these investments become her legacy to her grandchildren.”
“He used his position of trust as a relative to persuade (Sayko and her siblings) to invest with him, promising them that he would look after their money and that their investments would be safe with him,” court papers say.
Even after he was indicted, Vilar allegedly assured Sayko that the charges against him were “a mistake” and that “nobody would lose their money because of any wrongdoing.”
Sayko says Vilar — who’s currently serving nine years in the slammer — gave her those guarantees in a futile attempt to get her and her husband to post their house to help spring him from jail.
A spokeswoman for the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office wouldn’t say if prosecutors plan to challenge Sayko’s claim.