She scammed a 96-year-old Coventry widower out of $80k. Now she faces 20 years in prison
PROVIDENCE – An Indiana woman admitted scamming a 96-year-old Coventry widower out of almost $80,000 by perpetrating an online dating ruse.
Brittany Rakia Shawnai Lasley, 33, of Anderson, Indiana, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to charges that she created a fake profile on the dating site “Plenty of Fish” in a scheme to persuade unnamed man to send her money, credit cards, gift cards and provide her with his personal identifying information, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced in a news release.
Scheme causes Coventry widower 'substantial' financial hardship
Lasley admitted that she led him to believe that providing her with these items would help facilitate meetings between the two and foster a romantic relationship. Lasley fraudulently obtained access to the victim’s checking accounts and credit card, and made numerous unauthorized purchases, causing him substantial financial hardship, prosecutors said.
Lasley pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge of wire fraud, and in exchange Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul F. Daly Jr. and Peter I. Roklan agreed to dismiss nine other charges.
She faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of as much as $250,000 at her sentencing Nov. 7, 2023.
Lies about medical expenses, home repairs
U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigators determined that Lasley, who prosecutors said is also known as Brittany Mitchell, corresponded with the widower 89 times, falsely telling him that she needed the money for medical expenses, car repairs, and to travel to Rhode Island. Lasley was arrested and charged in October.
Lasley identified herself as “Sara Mills” upon virtually encountering the widower in May 2022. “Mills” initially told him she was 86 years old and lived in Evansville, Indiana, and posted a profile photo showing her as a whitefemale with blonde hair and blue eyes.
The man told investigators that he spoke with Lasley 20 to 30 times on the phone between May 3, 2022, and July 17, 2022. He said that shortly after they met online, “Mills” was fully aware of his financial standing and within two days had made charges to his credit card. He acknowledged giving “Mills” his credit card information with the understanding she could use it for gas purchases to come visit him.
When he spoke to “Mills” about the charges, she told him she would contact the bank and pay it off. The charges were never repaid, the affidavit said.
The purchases included specialty features for her boyfriend's Cadillac, tickets to a water park, hotel stays, gas and scratch tickets, among other items. He purchased $22,749 in pre-paid gift cards ranging from $50 to $500 in value.
The man told investigators that his relationship with “Mills” ended when his children overheard a call in which she demanded more money from him and they confronted him about “Mills.”
Victim is not alone
In 2017, Lasley was arrested by postal service inspectors on state charges that included fraud, theft, attempted theft, conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit theft. That investigation revealed that she and several co-conspirators “cat-fished” 22 elderly men throughout the country by creating fake accounts on dating sites and then luring the victims into communicating with them with the goal of obtaining the victims' money or personal information. Lasley was convicted on two counts of fraud and sentenced to four years' in prison.
According to investigators, Lasley's mother said that her daughter learned how to scam from other inmates while in prison and that she targeted elderly men online and persuaded them to send money and credit cards that she would then take on shopping sprees.
Another family member told the police that Lasley creates dating profiles on Plenty of Fish using photos of older women taken from Facebook and by Googling. She would then start communicating with the older men to see if they fall for her ruse. Lasley told the woman that she “reels them [victims] in” by telling these elderly men she is a widow, looking for love or that she has a house for sale and will repay them when her house is sold.
The family member said that Lasley mostly uses her phone to scam the men and has had multiple phones because Plenty of Fish blocked her IP address on numerous occasions, according to the affidavit.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Woman pleads guilty in romance scam that took RI widower for $80k
