Sydney conman who photoshopped pictures of himself with famous people gets 12 years' jail Dimitri de Angelis, with actress Sophie Monk. A Sydney conman who duped investors out of more than $8 million and pretended to be friends with celebrities like former US president Bill Clinton, has been jailed for a maximum of 12 years. Judge Richard Cogswell spent two hours sentencing Dimitri de Angelis in the NSW District Court on Friday as he detailed the extravagant lifestyle he had fabricated. Justice Cogswell said de Angelis duped potential investors by showing photoshopped pictures of himself with famous people. Photshopped ... Lachlan Murdoch and Dimitri de Angelis. "The photographs depicted himself with no lesser persons than Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, His Holiness the Pope John Paul II, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, US presidents George Bush senior, George W Bush and Bill Clinton and Australian prime ministers John Howard and Kevin Rudd," Justice Cogswell told the court. He represented to people that he owned fleets of luxury cars as well as mansions and luxurious homes in Sydney and Melbourne. Part of the proposition that he put to investors was that every one per cent in his company would be worth $6 million when the company went public. Dimitri de Angelis and former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev. Justice Cogswell said de Angelis's company was actually "in financial crisis" but he was "very skilled" at deceiving his victims. De Angelis pleaded guilty to 16 fraud charges last year. The former Qantas steward also rented Rolls-Royces, luxury holiday homes and offices to fool investors into thinking he was a wealthy businessman and that his recording company Emporium Music was a "foolproof scheme." Dimitri de Angelis and David Hasselhoff. Those stung by de Angelis included Anne Keating, the sister of former prime minister Paul Keating, Sydney's former deputy lord mayor Marcelle Hoff, experienced businessmen and lawyers. Justice Cogswell said he acknowledged that Paris-born de Angelis might have narcissistic personally disorder and that he had had a tough childhood in France, having spent most of it in state care. He will be eligible for parole in May 2020. Jailed .. Dimitri de Angelis Photo: Janie Barrett