About the Phoenix
NICO SAMARA is the author at the centre of this true story — a man who was targeted by a professional con man, survived an attempted hit on his life, and walked a punishing road to track down the man who tried to destroy him. He came back stronger every time, until he found him.
His story is not just his own. Steve Jacob Dan left a long trail of victims — people who lost their savings, their trust, and their peace of mind. Most stayed silent. Nico did not. He fought for more than a decade, armed with court files, police records, and the kind of stubborn courage that cannot be bought or broken.
This book is dedicated to every victim who could not speak. Nico speaks for all of them.
About the Con Man
He went by many names. Known variously as Steve Jean-Paul Dan, Steve Dan, Stive Jean-Paul Dan, and Stive Dan, this man built his entire existence around deception, wearing identities the way others wear clothes — discarding each one the moment it became a liability.
A serial fraudster and bigamist, he married multiple women simultaneously, exploiting their trust while methodically stealing their money. His preferred targets were people close to him — friends, confidants, and those who trusted him most. Behind the polished charm was a calculating predator who left financial devastation and broken lives wherever he went. He was arrested for financial fraud, yet that did little to slow him down.
When he targeted Nico Samara, he made a mistake unlike any he had made before — he underestimated his victim. He tried to have his victim silenced permanently. When that failed, he fled — abandoning everything, crossing continents, and resurfacing in Colombia under yet another new identity: Steve Jacob Dan.
He believed that distance and a new name would be enough to erase his past. He was wrong.
