Footballer fraudster who conned Love Island's Georgia Steel targeted another victim after prison release

The con artist who became known as the footballer fraudster has reportedly targeted another victim after his prison release.

Medi Abalimba has been accused of trying to steal money from an American nurse he allegedly romanced her by pretending to be a Chelsea footballer player - just months after he was released from prison for fraud, as reported by the MailOnline. 

Abalimba, aged 34, was jailed for four years in 2014 after impersonating ex Chelsea footballer Gael Kakuta to fund a lavish lifestyle and receive star treatment. An ITV documentary called 'The Footballer Fraudster' aired last November which detailed Abalimba's crimes.

As well as pretending to be Kakuta, Alalimba, who was once a promising footballer himself, faked his identity in other ways so that he could woo Love Island's Georgia Steel and Thierry Henry's ex-wife Claire Henry.

The conman told Steel he was as a US Government agent called Miguel Johnson when they met in April 2019. The pair dated for six weeks, but Steel's manager realised the true identity of Steel's new beau when the pair were photographed together. But, by then he'd stolen thousands of pounds from her.

The truth was that Abalimba had only been released from prison for a year when he met Steel. He'd spent around £32,000 on her credit cards.

Just months later, he conned Thierry Henry's ex-wife and model Claire Henry by pretending to be a US Navy Seal, also called Miguel Johnson. He was jailed in October 2019 for breaching his conditions of his release on licence, but lied and told Henry that he had been called back to Kuwait on military service. 

Unaware where he really was, Henry spoke to him on the phone every day for the next four months. Abalimba stole more than £50,000 from Henry after raiding her Coutts and HSBC accounts. He was then jailed again in 2021 for four years and two months after he admitted 15 counts of fraud.

Attempted theft of over £1,000

The whereabouts of Abalimba, now aged 34, had been unknown since an ITV documentary aired last November. The Ministry of Justice confirmed to MailOnline Abalimba is no longer in custody, it has been reported.

The publication has found that he has been alleged been spotted neara £400-a-night Marriott hotel in London's Mayfair in a £190,000 Mercedes-Benz G-Class.  Last month he was also photographed in Malaga, southern Spain. This is where it is claimed he tried to steal more than $1,000 (around £790) from nurse Zhane Wright's credit card.

Wright, aged 29, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, first met Abalimba in August last year outside the London Marriott hotel in Grosvenor Square. The pair then started chatting on the phone, something which lasted for months. She recently travelled to Spain when Abalimba told her he was in Malaga getting treatment for a knee injury from a specialist.

Wright, who said she has been left "terrified" after her run in with Abalimba, believed his name was 'Gyle' but uncovered his true identity after she found a picture of his passport when they were staying at a four-star hotel called Anahita Boutique.    

Miss Wright exclusively told MailOnline she got an alert on her phone hours earlier that an attempt had been made to take $1,318.68 (around £1,045) from her credit card. A total of $445.06 (£352) was withdrawn from her bank account. Abalimba was not present when she got the alert, she told the publication, but she fears he is to blame.

She flew back to London and reported what had happened to her, and her suspicions, to Scotland Yard. The Met Police told MailOnline there has been an allegation of an unsuccessful attempt of theft from a credit card in Spain, but did not confirm whether or not the allegation was from Abalimba.

Abalimba could not be contacted to give his side of the story. MailOnline say they attempted to contact Abalimba on the two mobile phone numbers provided to them. One rang twice before a message said the number was currently unavailable, and they left a voicemail message on the other.