A St. Louis County woman has pleaded guilty to participating in a romance fraud scheme that fleeced an estimated $1 million from unwitting individuals, according to federal authorities. Shirley Waller, 43, acknowledged her part in the online scam that particularly targeted older adults by using falsehoods to coax them into sending significant sums of money. Waller's involvement in perpetrating wire fraud and conspiring to commit mail fraud, alongside using fictitious names, came to light following her guilty plea, as detailed in a report by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
The deceit was unearthed when a 71-year-old woman, residing in St. Louis County, reported mailing $35,000 to Waller's home address, falling prey to the scammer's manipulative tactics. This package, loaded with cash, was tracked extensively, with over 160 instances of observation in under a single day. An array of IP addresses from Nigeria were pinpointed during the tracking. The investigation subsequently revealed that Waller's residence had received over 70 Express Mail packages within the time frame ending November 1, 2023—an arresting volume of shipments, as detailed in a press release from the Office of the U.S. Attorney.
Further inspection, sanctioned by a court, of Waller's premises on January 12, 2024, led to the discovery of firearms and a collection of Express Mail parcels, all directed to variations of Waller's nomenclature. The packages contained funds sent by elder individuals ensnared by the fraudulent online overtures. Postal inspectors intercepted parcels carrying a total of $41,650 destined for Waller, in addition to extracting $17,500 from a safe in her possession.
Waller's fraudulent actions weren't confined to the romance scheme. She manipulated the Paycheck Protection Program as well, securing a loan of $19,235 by falsely asserting she operated a business in Michigan. The loan, intended to provide her with financial support, was instead used for personal leisure to visit countries including Ghana, Germany, and Jamaica. Additionally, Waller filed another deceptive loan application for a resale shop in St. Louis while concealing the initial loan and distorting the state of her business income. Furthermore, she obtained a $196,000 mortgage loan under false pretenses—misrepresenting her marital status, income, job, and backing her application with forged tax and bank documents.
Scheduled for sentencing on September 29, Waller faces a maximum penalty for each count which could be up to 20 years in prison, along with potential fines up to $250,000. Previously, in March, she received a 15-month prison sentence after admitting to illegal firearm possession. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Town and Country Police Department, and the FBI conducted the investigation into Waller's activities, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry leading the prosecution.
