ST. LOUIS – A woman from St. Louis County faces up to 20 years in prison for her role in a one-million-dollar Nigerian romance scam.
Shirley Waller, 43, pleaded guilty to multiple charges in court today, which included one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and use of an assumed name to commit mail fraud.
The Nigerian romance scam resulted in an estimated loss of $1 million for victims, as Waller would assist the scammers.
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Court documents revealed that a 71-year-old victim tipped investigators after she sent over $35,000 to Waller’s home, unaware it was part of a romance scam. Detectives reported that various Nigerian IP addresses tracked the cash in less than 24 hours.
The case’s detectives believed that Waller’s house received over 70 Express Mail packages within 60 days.
Upon obtaining a search warrant for Waller’s home, officials found an abundance of mail from various victims, primarily sent from elderly individuals.
According to prosecutors, Waller would transfer the victims’ money to Nigeria electronically, such as through cryptocurrency. Prosecutors even say that Waller falsely applied for a loan for $19K, suggesting she was a business owner in Michigan.
When she received the funds, Waller would send them to various countries, including Ghana, Germany and Jamaica.
In another fraudulent incident, Waller supposedly lied about her marital status, income and career to receive a $196K loan, according to prosecutors.
Waller is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 29. The conviction for each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250K fine or both prison and a fine.
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