I Fell in Love with a Con Man, a true story.

While on a business trip in Miami, I met a man who introduces himself as Dr. Jonathan Palmer, the former British Formula One Grand Prix race car driver. He quickly stole my heart, and my life became a whirlwind as I was swept up into his glamorous lifestyle. When I discovered he is really an internationally wanted con man, Jonathan Nigel-Philip Kern, my life spiraled downward. Determined not to let this man ruin my life, I fought back. When I was transferred to work in Europe, I had the chance of a lifetime to testify against the con man in a Paris courtroom.

My story has been featured on "Unsolved Mysteries" and in numerous newspapers world-wide including "The Sunday Times" in South Africa", "News of the World Sunday Magazine" in Great Britain and "Israeli Insider" in Israel. My story has also been featured in "Marie Claire", "Sports Illustrated", and "Car & Driver" magazines.

Since my book was published I have been inundated with emails from people around the world who had also been conned by Kern. Following is the most recent information on Kern's criminal activities. If you go to Jonathan Kern's ShellShock Designs website, you will find photos of beautiful tiles and impressive projects that Kern/Kaye claims are his. In fact, the projects are not his work! The projects in the USA and Azerbaijan were completed by Marble and Granite Plus Inc. in China.

Click on the link below to see the company that really completed the projects that ShellShock Designs claims they did.

http://www.chinesemosaic.com/

Kern operates ShellShock Designs from his mother's home. As Kern has done his entire life, he runs back to the comforting arms of his mother whenever things get rough.Many years ago, I was left in dire straits after Jonathan Nigel Philip Kern had conned me out of my life savings. Kern's mother, Doreen Kern, had been calling my home in Connecticut to check on her son while Kern and I had been having a relationship. After I found out Kern was an internationally wanted con man, I called Mrs. Kern and asked her why she hadn't told me that Kern was a con man. She sighed deeply and said that she had hoped he had changed. She went on to tell me that Kern had ruined her life. That was fourteen years ago. Since then Kern has conned countless other people. Kern often introduces potential victims to his mother as she is a well known sculptor in London. It gives him an air of credibility, because he certainly doesn't have any of his own. Jonathan Kern is the most pathetic excuse for a man I have ever met. He has never worked an honest day in his life. Instead, he uses his talents to con people out of money. And in his own twisted mind, he feels that he is entitled to whatever money you have.

And in case you're wondering where the money goes, Kern has a penchant for escorts and is a drug addict. However, he usually doesn't pay his escorts either. You may recall reading in the Daily Mail about the murder of Nisha Patel in London, a vice madam with a criminal record. A police cover up was revealed when police were called to the home of Kern (before he moved back in with his mum) after Kern wrote bad checks to one of Nisha's call girls. The checks bounced, so Nisha and two burly drivers went to Hertfordshire to extract the money from Kern, who called police.

Here's a link to the article.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024779/Nisha-police-cover-She-vice-madam-criminal-record.html

When I met Kern, he was impersonating former Formula One Grand Prix race car driver, Dr. Jonathan Palmer. Click on the link below to read about Kern's criminal impersonation as featured onUnsolved Mysteries:

http://www.unsolved.com/ajaxfiles/wan_jonathan_kern.htm

and in Sports Illustrated magazine:

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1022886/index.htmAnd

How do I know so much about Kern's multitude of criminal activities since I was involved with him? After my story was featured in an episode of Unsolved Mysteries in 1996, it brought in numerous leads on Kern. I wanted to put the story to rest, but the media and authorities from around the world continued to contact me asking me for information on Kern. At the prodding of many people, I finally wrote my book, I Fell in Love with a Con Man.

Click on the link below to visit the website for my book.

http://www.ifellinlovewithaconman.com/

Click on the link below to listen to an interview of me discussing my book on Lulu Radio.

http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/381620

After my book was published, I became inundated with emails from people Kern had conned. Though each story is unique, there are common threads. Kern uses the same techniques to con people as he used on me. He meets someone, then claims that his wallet was stolen and he can't pay for a meal in a restaurant/hotel room/goods he ordered. Another technique is to con people into investing in one of his bogus businesses. He then spends the money, the business goes belly up, and he starts a new business. How he continues to do this without being thrown in jail is a mystery to me.That's not to say Kern has gotten away with all of his crimes. He's been in and out of jail his entire life. I was able to testify against Kern in Paris, France in February 1998. It was most satisfying to see him led out of court in handcuffs to serve his term. Unfortunately he was back out in eighteen months and immediately began conning more people.Kern hasn't changed much since he was a child. (According to his British passport, his date of birth is 09 January 1954. But he's used other dates of birth on company registrations and been known to possess other passports.)

I visited an elderly cousin of his in Manhattan after my relationship with Kern had ended. His cousin told me that Kern used to visit her in Italy when he was a child. She told me what a spoiled, demanding child he was. She related that if they would go into a shop, Kern would point at several items and demand, "Buy me this, and this, and that. Just ask my father for the money." Kern's wealthy father, Cyril Kern, disowned him years ago, but Kern continues to drop his name as though they still maintain a father/son relationship. Kern still feels he's entitled to anything he sees. Since his father no longer pays for the items, he looks elsewhere.

Click on the link below to read an article in Israeli Insider on how Cyril Kern is estranged from his son, and how other family members want nothing to do with Jonathan Kern.

http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Culture/7245.htm

The amazing on-line gift store, http://www.firebox.com/ was taken in once by Kern when he called their PR department posing as a journalist and asking for free gifts.The PR department was wise to Kern when he called back a second time seeking yet more free gifts. They proceeded to post a warning about Kern on their company blogsite.Click on the link below to read their blog:

http://blog.firebox.com/2008/04/firebox-gets-al.html

So watch out people, if you have money, Kern wants it. And if you won't give it to him, he'll throw a tantrum!

Click on the link below to read about one of Kern's infamous tantrum's published in The Independent newspaper in London.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/high-style-and-base-behaviour-674583.html

Oh, did I mention that Kern/Kaye has a history of stealing exotic cars?

Please click on the link below to read an article in Top Gear magazine about yet another one of Kern's endearing traits. The article also states that Kern had over 45 previous convictions before stealing the Lotus Esprit press car.

http://www.topgear.com/content/features/stories/2005/03/stories/06/1.html

And here's a link to an article about Kern threatening a former girlfriend. After she went to the police, he left her messages on her mobile phone saying he would send people to break her legs and burn down her house.


http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/mail-on-sunday-london-england-the/mi_8003/is_2001_July_8/fashion-boss-lover-pound12000-taste/ai_n36362877/


Here's a link to a video I have on YouTube in which I tell my story and warn others about Kern:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJfeQsEJH8Y

Perhaps you've had the misfortune to meet up with Jonathan Kern and found this blogsite after doing an on-line search of Kern, or one of his aliases, or one of his bogus businesses.

For those of you who still aren't sure if the man you met is the same Jonathan Kern I write of, please refer to the list below.

The Top Ten Ways to Know If You've Met Jonathan Kern

10 He introduces you to his mother
9 He's constantly on the phone making international calls
8 You're having dinner together and he claims his wallet was stolen so
he's unable to pay
7 He wants to write you a check for your services or goods instead of using
a credit card or paying cash
6 He promises he'll pay you when his wealthy father's estate is settled and
he inherits a huge sum of money
5 He makes racist remarks toward you if you press him for the money he
owes you
4 He threatens to sue you
3 He brags to you about all of the successful magazines or businesses he's owned
2 He throws a tantrum when questioned about anything
1 He claims he owns a factory in China

Does this blog give you some idea of the extent of Kern's criminal activities? Actually, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I'll continue to add more links and information as time permits. Unlike Jonathan Kern, I actually have a job and work for a living.