A Bridgeport resident who operated lottery and online romance scams targeting elderly victims was sentenced to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
Between August 2015 and March 2020, Stanley Pierre worked with several collaborators on a lottery scam that used mail, telephone calls and online communications to trick victims into believing they won prizes – which they only collect if they paid for shipping, processing and taxes. With his romance scam, Pierre created fake online profiles on dating websites and defrauded people with whom he established trust.
Pierre used his personal bank accounts and also established business bank accounts to launder money obtained from fraud victims; he also recruited others to lauder proceeds from his schemes. Investigators estimated that these scams defrauded more than 200 victims across the U.S. of more than $5 million, and many of the victims were elderly who lost their life savings – including a Connecticut victim lost more than $1 million.
Pierre pleaded guilty in January to one count of money laundering. He is currently free on a $100,000 bond and is required to report to prison on Sept. 21.
