A St. Louis County woman, Shirley Waller, has been sentenced to 93 months in prison for a series of fraud crimes, including her role as a "money mule" in an online fraud scheme and for pandemic and mortgage fraud, as well as gun crimes. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Eastern District of Missouri reports that Waller, 43, pleaded guilty in June to one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and using an assumed name to commit mail fraud.
Waller's sentencing yesterday by U.S. District Judge John A. Ross amounts to 78 months for her fraud offenses, to be served consecutively to a 15-month sentence for gun possession as a convicted felon. Judge Ross also ordered her to repay $313,711 to her victims. After the daughter of a 71-year-old St. Louis County woman told police that she’d mailed $35,000 to Waller's home as part of a romance scam, an investigation revealed Waller was involved in a more extensive operation, with over 70 Express Mail packages having been delivered to her home within a 60-day period.
During a January 12, 2024 search of Waller’s home, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service discovered two firearms and multiple Express Mail packages sent to variations of Waller's name. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the packages contained cash from older adults who'd been targeted by online fraud schemes. It is estimated that overseas scammers likely stole over $1 million, based on the 193 packages delivered to Waller's home between September 1, 2023, and April 1, 2024, which were tracked by Nigerian IP addresses.
Apart from her involvement in the online scams, Waller admitted to fraudulently applying for a Paycheck Protection Program loan and obtaining a $196,000 mortgage loan with falsified information. She reportedly used proceeds from the pandemic relief loan to fund trips to Ghana, Germany, and Jamaica. In march, Waller was also sentenced for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Ruth Mendonça, Inspector in Charge of the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office, underscored the commitment to justice for victims of mail fraud, stating, “Postal Inspectors seek justice for victims, including those most vulnerable.” The case was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Town and Country Police Department, and the FBI, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuting, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
