Conman scams Irish tourists out of $2,000 in Times Square: cops

A homeless career con man with more than 65 prior arrests scammed two Irish tourists out of $2,000 on Thanksgiving in Times Square, police officers and sources said.

The two 27-year-old tourists watched Elliot Brightman, 61, play a shell game on Broadway and West 49th Street at around 3:15 p.m. Thursday when they decided to try their hand at it, authorities said.

One of the women threw down $1,000 for Brightman’s game, which involved three bottle caps and a small ball on a table, police officers said.

The object of the game is to keep track of the cap with the ball underneath while moving the caps around.

When she lost the round, Brightman urged her to play again and wager another $1,000 to win her money back, authorities said.

When her pal did so, Brightman grabbed all the cash and fled, cops and sources said.

Police caught up with Brightman a short time later after witnesses reported they thought the women were in trouble.

The professional fraudster has been charged with grand theft, fraudulent form of address, possession of a gaming device and promoting gambling, police officers and sources said.

But the visiting duo didn’t get their $2,000 back, and police believe Brightman turned the money over to someone else.

Brightman’s long criminal record dates back to 1982, when he was arrested for hosting a three-card Monte game in Midtown, police sources said.

His criminal record also includes arrests for promoting gambling, criminal possession of a controlled substance, counterfeiting and fraudulent form of address, the sources said.

He was most recently arrested in 2017 for criminal possession of a controlled substance within the boundaries of the Sixth Ward, which includes Greenwich Village and the West Village.

He also previously served time in state prison for grand larceny and records of state correction.