An American fantasy fiction author has been accused of defrauding millions of pounds from women he met on Jewish dating websites.
Mitchell Gross, the author of a book called "Circle of Lies", is alleged to have posed as a romantic interest in order to encourage at least two women to give him money.
An Atlanta court heard that he had encouraged the women to invest some £2.8 million in a fake company to fund a luxury lifestyle and pay his golf club fees.
One of his alleged victims, a woman called Robbie Johnson, said Mr Gross had told her that Steven Spielberg had bought the rights to his books.
The Atlanta-based writer, 61, pleaded not guilty to US Attorney's Office charges of wire fraud and money laundering. He could face a lengthy jail sentence if convicted.