What did Earnest Williams do? Husband of Steve Harvey’s co-host Shirley Strawberry allegedly scammed 25 victims out of over $750K

Earnest Williams was indicted on 39 counts of fraud by a Fulton County grand jury in April, as per court documents. These charges stem from allegations that he scammed at least 25 people out of more than the whopping amount of $750k.

According to HotNewHipHop, Shirley Strawberry, whom Williams married in 2015, may have also been duped and is not considered a part of the entire scam. However, it is reported that Earnest Williams may have misused her celebrity status and stardom. Court documents further claim that Williams married Strawberry with the preconceived idea of misusing her status.

Shirley Strawberry is best known for her role as the co-host on The Steve Harvey Morning Show, along with Harvey himself.

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Earnest Williams has been accused of allegedly taking advantage of Shirley Strawberry's status to scam people

The estranged husband of Shirley Strawberry, co-host of The Steve Harvey Morning Show, has been indicted for scamming people, mostly women, back in April. Court documents allege that Earnest Williams took advantage of and misused Shirley's celebrity status.

The accused allegedly pretended to be a businessman who later would steal vehicles, money, and property from the people he targeted. It is further alleged that Earnest would often use romantic angles as well as physical and emotional trickery to scam people. According to court documents,

"[Earnest] often used the illusion of romantic or close personal relationships with those victims to manipulate them and to steal from them."

Speaking about Shirley Strawberry's marriage with Williams, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told WSB-TV on April 23,

"We believe she met a man, fell in love, and married him, and the truth is, at the time, he was already married to someone else."

Allegedly, Earnest Williams did not act alone in his schemes. He reportedly had co-conspirators, including Erica King. According to court documents, Earnest would often ask King to trick courts and law enforcement agencies. In the Georgia RICO case, along with Earnest, even King has been indicted on 19 counts. Both the accused individuals were arrested last year in October.

Shawn Hoover, Earnest's public defender, reportedly filed a plea agreement on his behalf on April 26. The hearing took place on May 29, however, it has not been disclosed whether the parties have agreed to the terms or not. Documents filed with the Fulton Superior Court state have revealed,

"From at least December 1, 2009, through June 30, 2022, Earnest Williams engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states."

About five fraud counts against Earnest Williams exceed the valuation of $24,999. In that case, if he is found guilty, he could receive an imprisonment sentence ranging from two to twenty years. About ten counts are below $25,000, and if found guilty, he would be sentenced to one to ten years behind bars. Furthermore, if found guilty of filing a false marriage in the state of Georgia, he could face about one to ten years in jail along with a fine of $10,000.

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Shirley filed for a divorce in April, court documents have stated that they have been separated since March 2022.