A Georgia man is accused of scamming more than $750,000 from 25 victims after allegedly pretending to be married to Steve Harvey’s radio show co-host, Shirley Strawberry. Earnest Williams, also known as “Nesto,” was indicted by a Fulton County Grand Jury on 39 counts of fraud in connection with the scam, according to court documents.
Williams is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands from his victims under the guise of being a successful businessman. The victims were primarily women who were led to believe Williams could help them launch new businesses or promote existing ventures. Many of these relationships were based on romantic or close personal ties, with Williams allegedly manipulating victims in this manner to extract money and other assets from them.
Williams’ fraudulent activities were facilitated by his alleged marriage to Shirley Strawberry, the co-host of “The Steve Harvey Morning Show,” whom he married in January 2015. However, investigators believe that Williams was already married to someone else at the time of his marriage to Strawberry, and the pair had filed for divorce earlier this year.
During his scams, Williams allegedly enlisted multiple co-conspirators, including Erica King (also known as Ericka Hughley or Ericka Hughley Rothschild), who helped him assume various fake identities to deceive law enforcement and court officials.
Williams and King were arrested in October 2023 after their fraudulent activities were discovered by police in Roswell, Georgia. The pair now face a series of charges related to their alleged scams, with the potential for significant prison sentences if found guilty. Williams is currently being held at the Cobb County jail, with no court date set for his next appearance.
