Eva Mendes Victim of Fake Brother Con  4/24/06

Actress Eva Mendes has been targeted by a con artist who has been pretending to be her brother in order to swindle tens of thousands of dollars worth of expensive meals and nights out in New York City.

Bronx-based Marcel Perez, who is currently being sought by police after his alleged tricks were exposed, went under the fake name of Marco Mendes to scam luxury restaurants, hotels and a limousine company.

Philippe Kayadjanian, the owner of the trendy 212 restaurant claims Perez used a stolen credit card number to pay for over $10,000 worth of meals in just two months.

He tells website PageSix, "He was spending a lot of money. He came here eight times.

"He even invited my manager to join him at Cain, Pink Elephant and other places. He was living large.

"The cops are looking for him. We filed a police report at the 19th Precinct and I identified him through a mug shot."

Mendes' publicist Brad Cafarelli says, "Eva Mendes has never met nor heard of this person, nor has she been aware of any of these alleged activities before this time."