Oklahoma woman charged with laundering $1.5M from elderly women in online romance scam

Charges person been filed against an Oklahoma pistillate who is being accused of laundering astir $1.5 cardinal successful funds obtained done online romance scams, targeting aged women. 

Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced that Christine Joan Echohawk, 53, was arrested Monday, and is accused of laundering wealth from out-of-state victims betwixt Sept. 30, 2024, and Dec. 26, 2024. 

Officials said that each the victims were women betwixt the ages of 64 and 79.

The victims believed they were sending wealth to a antheral taxable whom they thought they were successful an online narration with, according to a quality merchandise from Drummond's office.

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An Oklahoma pistillate was charged aft allegedly laundering astir $1.5 cardinal successful funds obtained done online romance scams. (Pawnee County Sheriff's Office)

Drummond noted that 1 pistillate adjacent sold her location truthful that she could nonstop $600,000 to the scammer.

"These types of scams that people seniors are particularly egregious," Drummond said. "I applaud the enactment of my Consumer Protection Unit to combat for these victims and to clasp accountable their alleged perpetrator."

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Assorted dating apps, including Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, HUD, Hickey, Wink, Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB), OkCupid, and Plenty of Fish (POF), are seen connected an iPhone. (iStock)

The victims besides sent Apple acquisition cards, currency and cashiers’ checks arsenic good arsenic wired wealth to accounts owned by Echohawk astatine MidFirst Bank, according to the quality release. 

Drummond's bureau was besides alerted by the slope successful January aft it held a $120,000 transportation from 1 of the victims, suspecting elder fraud activity. 

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A idiosyncratic receiving a transportation alert scam text   (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Echohawk was confronted successful January 2024 by instrumentality enforcement astir suspected transgression activity, Drummond's bureau said, but allegedly continued to launder funds aft a abbreviated hiatus.

Officials said Echohawk is believed to person been converting the funds into cryptocurrency and sending those payments to an unidentified suspect.

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Echohawk was charged with unlawful usage of transgression proceeds and utilizing a machine to interruption authorities statutes. She faces 5 counts that, together, transportation 24 to 62 years successful situation and up to $260,000 successful fines.

Anyone is encouraged to study suspected fraud to Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s Consumer Protection Unit astatine 833-681-1895 or [email protected].

Stepheny Price is simply a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, nationalist transgression cases, amerciable immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas tin beryllium sent to [email protected]