A 34-year-old Indiana woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for defrauding a 96-year-old widower in an online romance scheme.
Brittany Rakia Shawnai Lasley admitted to a judge in September that she created a fake account on the dating site “Plenty of Fish,” according to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island, where the victim lived. When the widower contacted her, she launched her scheme, persuading him to give her money, credit cards, gift cards, and, ultimately, his personal identifying information, giving her access to his checking accounts and credit cards.
At sentencing on Wednesday, a federal prosecutor read the victim’s impact statement, which said the nonagenarian “was in shock and disbelief.”
“It took me a few days to comprehend what had happened,” he wrote. “I was embarrassed, horrified, and distressed about my financial situation, fearing that I could lose the house I had lived in since 1970.”
Ultimately, Lasley fleeced the man of nearly $80,000.
“This defendant preyed on a vulnerable, elderly Rhode Islander, dangling the promise of love and companionship in an attempt to help herself to her victim’s hard-earned savings,” remarked U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “With this sentence, it is Ms. Lasley who will deservedly pay the price for her appalling conduct.”
Lasley pleaded guilty to wire fraud in September. She will serve three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The first six months of her release will be served in a residential reentry facility.
