• Revolve CEO Michael Mente lost $5.4M after falling for a fake Mercedes-AMG One deal.
  • The scammer posed as a French dealer, offering the nonexistent hypercar for sale.
  • Mente learned of the scam when Homeland Security revealed his payment was stolen.

It’s a hard pill to swallow, but even the ultra-wealthy and financially savvy aren’t immune to being scammed. That’s exactly what happened to Revolve CEO Michael Mente, who learned this lesson the hard way. According to newly released court documents, Mente fell victim to a scam that cost him a staggering $5.4 million. The scam? A nonexistent Mercedes-AMG ONE, which, as you might have guessed, he never received. And Mente wasn’t the first target of this particular con artist.

The man allegedly behind the scheme is Traveon Rogers, a Texas resident with a criminal history. Authorities say Rogers pretended to be Jean-Pierre M.R. Clement, a French car dealer, and used this fake identity to lure Mente into a deal.

When Mente went on a search for a Mercedes-AMG One in 2021, Rogers’ attorney facilitated the connection between the two men. Rogers, playing the part of an exclusive dealer, claimed to have an allocation for sale. Mente, eager to secure the supercar, agreed to pay $5.4 million and waited patiently for the production and delivery of his prized vehicle. But, as it turns out, neither of those things were ever coming.

More: Facebook Marketplace Scam Leaves Ram Buyer With Stolen Truck Surrounded By Cops And Out $28,000

Instead, Mente heard from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2022 that his money was gone and that J.P.M.R. Clement didn’t exist. Now, documents obtained by the Denver Post disclose that Mente is trying to get his money back from Rogers in addition to other damages. Interestingly, Rogers’ attorney, Scott Oliver, practices in Longmont, Colorado and said he knew nothing of the scheme.

“Rogers was quite a character. Clearly he was able to convince people and get them to pay money and defraud people out of a lot of money,” he said. Notably, this isn’t the first time Rogers has reportedly attempted this kind of scam. In 2023, he faced a separate lawsuit for trying to sell an AMG One that didn’t exist. In that case, he allegedly obtained $3.19 million in the deal. Here he is in a video making various claims about his wealth.

@financialolic

From Project Manager to Private Equity firm owner with a portfolio worth over $400M 🤯. Learn how angel investing in startups like Snap Inc., AngelList and Taskrabbit transformed Traveon Rogers life and fortunes. Angel Investing is all about ACCESS 😇. He invested in Snapchat’s seed round in 2010 which was a big risk at the time, especially on his $80k a year salary, but it paid off. Watch him share his story below and learn what his #1 lesson learned is to scale a business from 6 to 7 to 8 figures +. Credit to School of Hard Knocks #privateequity #privateequitylife #privateequitysalary #finance #ownership #investor #investors

♬ original sound – financialolic

On top of that, he’s faced charges of forging contracts, forging banking documents, and impersonating representatives from Aston Martin and a Cleveland car dealer. As reported by Jalopnik, in the world of online sleuths he’s becoming a bit notorious too. Investigations detailing his misdeeds have popped up on X and YouTube. If anything, it just goes to show that anyone can fall victim to a scam if they’re not careful. 

The Mercedes-AMG ONE, which is at the heart of this debacle, is not your average car. With just 275 units produced, it’s a rare breed. Powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged hybrid six-cylinder engine derived from Mercedes’ F1 cars and boosted by electric motors and a turbocharger system, it produces a monstrous 1,048 horsepower. This German rocket can hit 62 mph in just 2.9 seconds. Originally priced at $2.7 million, the hypercar’s value has skyrocketed, with second-hand models now fetching several million more.