Two women have been charged with defrauding 16 elderly men out of $7 million in a long-running romance scam.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the suspects, identified as 48-year-old Rosanna Lisa Stanley and 37-year-old Gina Guy in a federal indictment, were arrested June 25 in North Miami Beach and New York City, respectively.
In a scam that lasted from 2009 until now, Stanley and Guy lured their elderly victims “into purported romantic or close personal relationships through in-person meetings, phone calls, text messages, and an online dating platform,” the complaint said.
Stanley and Guy are each charged with one count of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Though not every victim had a romantic relationship with either of the suspects, the suspects gained their victims' trust before persuading them to send them money for various reasons, such as fake business deals, organ transplants, and kidney transplants.
“As alleged, Rosanna Lisa Stanley and Gina Guy callously defrauded elderly victims who were simply looking for companionship. They allegedly used the millions of dollars in fraud proceeds to lead lives of luxury at their victims’ expense,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “As today’s arrests demonstrate, perpetrators of romance scams will be held to account for their crimes.”
Stanley and Guy were released on $250,000 bond each.
