A Queens man who lavished his lover with jewels is suing her for fraud after finding out she was married with kids, according to court documents.
Chaoran Li, of Flushing, began dating Maio Ting Li, of Long Island, in April 2022 and got down on one knee after just a month, he said in his Queens Supreme Court lawsuit.
She said yes, and in the lead-up to what he thought would be their wedding, Chaoran, 31, lavished Maio, 38, with a more than $55,000 engagement ring, a sapphire jewel he bought for $6,200, and $6,300 ruby ring, he claimed in the legal filing.
But instead of tying the knot, Chaoran broke off his relationship with the Long Island woman in March after learning she allegedly has had a husband, and two kids, throughout their courtship, he claimed in the litigation.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, does not detail how he learned about Maio’s secret family.
“[Chaoran] ‘showered’ her with expensive gifts and cash in contemplation of marriage. Thereafter, after [Chaoran] learned [Maio] was a married woman with two children, he rescinded his marriage proposal,” he said in the lawsuit. “[Maio’s] scheme fell like a ‘house of cards.'”
Chaoran claims his former flame has neither returned the bling he gave her, nor paid him back the money he spent trying to romance her.
He wants a judge to force her to return the jewelry — or reimburse him the $67,600 he paid for it.
Chaoran Li declined to comment on the case and Mao Ting Li could not be reached for comment.