Two women have been charged in years-long “romance schemes” to scam several elderly men out of more than $7 million, Manhattan federal prosecutors said in a court filing.
The women, identified as Rosanna Lisa Stanley and Gina Guy, defrauded at least 16 victims out of millions of dollars in a scheme that lasted from 2009 until this year, when they were arrested, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York. .
Stanley and Guy were arrested on June 25 in North Miami Beach, Florida, and New York City, respectively, according to a release from the U.S. attorney’s office.
Stanley and Guy lured their elderly victims “into purported close romantic or personal relationships through in-person meetings, phone calls, text messages and an online dating platform,” the complaint said.
Once they gained the victims’ trust, the women convinced them to send them money “under false pretenses,” telling the victims they needed money for things like fake deals and organ transplants, prosecutors said.
Both women face charges of money laundering, wire fraud and conspiracy, according to prosecutors. Each charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
“As alleged, Rosanna Lisa Stanley and Gina Guy cruelly defrauded elderly victims who were simply looking for companionship. They allegedly used the millions of dollars proceeds from fraud to live lives of luxury at the expense of their victims,” US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “As today’s arrests demonstrate, perpetrators of romance fraud will be held accountable for their crimes.”
In one alleged case, prosecutors say Stanley connected with an “elderly male” victim who he believed had an “exclusive romantic relationship” with her. Stanley repeatedly requested money for things like rent and living expenses, which the victim paid, according to the complaint.
The victim ended up providing Stanley with the credentials for one of his credit cards and the card itself, leading Stanley to change the account password and rack up thousands of charges, prosecutors said.
He also wired thousands of dollars to Stanley after she solicited funds for an alleged catering business, according to prosecutors, $220,000 of which Stanley used to pay off loans for his boat and luxury car.
Prosecutors said Stanley scammed the victim out of at least $555,000.
In another alleged example, prosecutors say Stanley scammed another victim out of at least $1,000,000 while pretending to be a psychic who told the victim her money was “tainted by bad influences.” Stanley allegedly told the victim that she could “clean” and “protect” money from her and that she would eventually return it clean if he transferred it to her.
Over time, prosecutors said, Stanley convinced the victim to transfer more and more money to her so she could help him achieve his “desired life.”
Guy, prosecutors said, defrauded four elderly male victims of at least $908,000 after telling them he needed money for medical procedures, including kidney transplants, but then “spent the money on non-medical personal expenses, including meals expensive, public services, apartment rent.” and luxury goods,” according to the complaint.
She also convinced one of the victims to send her $708,000 so that “she could help him transfer his money from his current bank to another bank that offered higher interest rates so that Victim-6 could maximize the return of your deposited funds.” the complaint said.
Together, Guy and Stanley convinced another victim to send them thousands of dollars because they wanted to buy a sewing business in New York City and needed a loan, prosecutors said.
“Gina Guy and Rosanna Lisa Stanley allegedly preyed on innocent individuals seeking companionship and exploited them for their own benefit,” said James Smith, FBI Assistant Director in Charge. “Raising millions of dollars from their victims, the perpetrators allegedly gained and betrayed the trust of primarily elderly individuals to finance their luxury purchases.”
It was not immediately clear whether Stanley and Guy were represented by lawyers. Attempts to reach the court to determine whether the defendants were represented were unsuccessful outside of normal business hours.
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