MIRAMAR, Fla. — A Florida woman has pleaded guilty to laundering over $2.7 million as part of a scheme involving romance scams, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
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Cristine Petitfrere, 30, of Miramar, admitted to conspiring to launder millions of dollars received from victims of online romance scams. Court records from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) indicate Ms Petitfrere used bank accounts to receive fraudulently obtained funds, keeping a portion as her fee while sending the remainder to a co-conspirator overseas.
Romance scams, which often involve fraudsters creating fake online personas to exploit victims emotionally and financially, have led to significant financial losses. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost $1.14 billion to romance scams in 2023, with many victims being elderly.
“Romance scams cause not only significant losses but also profound emotional harm to countless individuals,” said Brian Boynton, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
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Mr Boynton emphasized the department’s ongoing efforts to dismantle the criminal networks behind such schemes.
Ms Petitfrere, who earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees through the scheme, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 11 in the Southern District of Florida. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, with the final sentence to be determined by a federal judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The FBI’s Miami Field Office conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Matthew Robinson and Lauren M. Elfner of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case.
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If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).
