Christine Joan Echohawk, Pawnee, Oklahoma woman pretending to be online male suitor scammed lonely elderly women out of $1.5M which she then money laundered.
An Oklahoma woman pretending to be a male suitor online is alleged to have duped elderly female victims out of $1.5 million which she laundered, including one victim who sold her home so she could send $600K to the scammer.
Christine Joan Echohawk, 53, of Pawnee, was arrested Monday, and is accused of laundering money her out-of-state victims between Sept. 30, 2024, and Dec. 26, 2024.
Officials said that all the victims were women between the ages of 64 and 79 according to Oklahoma’s Consumer Protection Unit.
The victims believed they were sending money to a male subject whom they thought they were in an online relationship with, according to a news release from Attorney General Gentner Drummond‘s office.
Drummond noted that one woman even sold her house so that she could send $600,000 to the scammer.
‘These types of scams that target seniors are especially egregious,’ Drummond said.
‘I applaud the work of my Consumer Protection Unit to fight for these victims and to hold accountable their alleged perpetrator.‘
The victims also sent Apple gift cards, cash and cashiers’ checks as well as wired money to accounts owned by Echohawk at MidFirst Bank, according to the news release.
Drummond’s office was also alerted by the bank in January after it held a $120,000 transfer from one of the victims, suspecting senior fraud activity.
Echohawk was confronted in January 2024 by law enforcement about suspected criminal activity, Drummond’s office said, but allegedly continued to launder funds after a short hiatus.
Officials said Echohawk is believed to have been converting the funds into cryptocurrency and sending those payments to an unidentified suspect.
Echohawk was charged with unlawful use of criminal proceeds and using a computer to violate state statutes according to KTUL.
She faces five counts that, together, carry 24 to 62 years in prison and up to $260,000 in fines.
Anyone is encouraged to report suspected fraud to Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s Consumer Protection Unit at 833-681-1895 or [email protected].
