Manti Te’o Was Talking to Ronaiah Tuiasosopo The Whole Time

Hoax mastermind Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, posing as the mysterious Lennay Kekua, was the falsetto voice on the other end of the all-night phone calls with the Notre Dame star, the scammer’s lawyer said.

The Heisman Trophy finalist “thought it was a female he was talking with,” lawyer Milton Grimes acknowledged to the Daily News. “It was Ronaiah as Lennay.”

This is less “Catfish” and more “Crying Game.” Tuiasosopa has a background of vocal and dramatic training. Shit, he even auditioned for “The Voice” before devoting all of his time to this scheme for some reason.

“Come on, Hollywood does it all the time,” Grimes said Wednesday. “People can do that.”

Well, sure. They CAN do it. But why?

“This wasn’t a prank to make fun,” Grimes told The News. “It was establishing a communication with someone. … It was a person with a troubled existence trying to reach out and communicate and have a relationship.”

Grimes declined to answer when asked to elaborate on his client’s intentions or what type of relationship he wanted with the college football star: “I wouldn’t describe his issues at this time.”

Te’o’s interview with Katie Couric airs today on her syndicated talk show. She appeared on the “Dan Patrick Show” this morning and confirmed Te’o showed her his phone records.

Don’t worry, folks. Somehow it will get weirder. Just you wait.

[H/T: New York Daily News]