On September 11, 2024, Cristine Petitfrere pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida to conspiring to launder millions of dollars from American fraud victims, many of whom are elderly. The U.S. Department of Justice reported that Petitfrere, a Florida resident, laundered more than $2.7 million dollars, and kept over $200,000 in fees.
According to the Factual Proffer to the Plea Agreement, Petitfrere directed a team of romance scam fraudsters who dealt directly with victims, to send unlawful proceeds from the fraudulent payments to Petitfrere’s bank account. Petitfrere then allegedly forwarded the proceeds to an unnamed co-conspirator located abroad, after keeping a portion of the proceeds for herself. When banks closed at least 12 of Petitfrere’s accounts for suspected links to fraudulent activity, Petitfrere opened new accounts, and knowingly lied to the banks about the nature of the funds and her relationship with the overseas co-conspirator.
Petitfrere is scheduled to be sentenced on December 11, 2024.
DOJ Press Release | Indictment | Plea Agreement | Factual Proffer