A 30-year-old Florida woman, Cristine Petitfrere of Miramar, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for her involvement in laundering money connected to romance scams. Petitfrere, who admitted to personally laundering over $2.7 million, kept a portion as payment for her services while she channeled the remaining funds to co-conspirators located overseas, her plea in the Southern District of Florida revealed last September, as the U.S. Department of Justice reported.
Romance scams often involve criminals devising fake identities online, gaining trust, and financially exploiting their victims, many of whom are elderly or vulnerable looking for companionship, Petitfrere helped these offshore culprits by funneling money duped from Americans into their hands and in her role she was ordered to forfeit $203,815.59, that she received from this operation according to her sentencing information NBC Miami reported.
"Romance scams are a growing threat to Americans, particularly to the elderly and vulnerable," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, fighting these crimes remains a high priority for the department, as they've pledged to "vigorously pursue those who help facilitate these criminal enterprises, whether they work on the frontlines of deception or behind the scenes," according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Justice Department's Civil Division, the Consumer Protection Branch, and the FBI Miami Field Office conducted investigations leading to Petitfrere's sentencing, actions that signal a commitment to upholding the integrity of American financial systems and protecting its citizens from fraud with the federal government offering resources like the National Elder Fraud Hotline for seniors in need of assistance states the Justice Department in a concerted effort that stands ready to support the victims and to take necessary action against the perpetrators behind such deceitful schemes.
