JUDGE PUTS BITE ON TV SHARK'S PARTNER

SHARK Tank success Nate Holzapfel tried to orchestrate the deal of a lifetime by pleading guilty to scamming lovelorn gals out of their hard-earned cash in Utah and serving 48 months of probation — but a judge rejected the agreement and socked him with up to 18 years behind bars! 

Lawmen say Holzapfel, 44, hunted vulnerable women on social media apps and reeled them in with promises of romance before pressuring them to turn over money and assets with false pledges of big financial returns! 

Widow DeAnn Janse claims the bogus beau bullied his way into her home by bragging about his 2013 appearance on Shark Tank, which saw him score funding for his Mission Belt Co. from celebrity investor Daymond John — even though the fraudster left the biz two years after his TV debut!