A New York woman was indicted Tuesday after allegedly taking part in a romance scam to steal more than $300,000 from a Massachusetts woman who believed she was in an online relationship with a CIA agent and diamond magnate.
Nikeisha Lewis, 42, is facing charges of larceny over $1,200, receiving stolen property over $1,200, and money laundering. It was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney who could comment on the charges.
Online court records indicate Lewis previously pleaded not guilty to similar charges during her arraignment in Plymouth District Court in March 2023. Her indictment shifts the case to Plymouth Superior Court.
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According to court documents, the alleged victim told investigators she met “Richard Kobstar” through Facebook in the summer of 2020. The Plymouth woman explained that she sent “Kobstar” a message commenting that he looked good for his age, given Facebook listed his birth year as 1906.
“Through this initial message Kobstar explained to [the alleged victim] his date of birth listed on his facebook page was false, and he was actually a C.I.A. Agent attempting to conceal personal information,” according to a summary of facts filed in Plymouth District Court.
The pair communicated on a daily basis via telephone and text messages, and “Kobstar” reportedly claimed to own a mining company. Prosecutors allege “Kobstar” convinced the Plymouth woman to invest in his company and prompted her to send large sums of money through checks, cash, and wire transfers addressed to Lewis, his purported assistant.
She continued to send “Kobstar” money over the next year, cashing out her retirement account and stocks and even switching banks after staff suggested that she might have fallen prey to a scam, according to court documents.
Lewis “fraudulently deposited these payments into her own business account at Wells Fargo bank, and quickly concealed them by rapidly withdrawing the stolen cash from random ATMs,” the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office alleged in a press release.
By December 2021, the alleged victim began to suspect she had been scammed. She went to Plymouth police in March 2022, and authorities launched an investigation that would eventually span thousands of financial records, the DA’s office said.
The investigation found that Lewis “acted in a joint venture with unknown other individuals” and had allegedly used the funds to travel, buy groceries, and pay utility, credit card, and mortgage bills, according to the press release.
According to court documents, Lewis allegedly told investigators that she allowed her ex-boyfriend to use her bank account and claimed that he would deposit money into the account and ask her to withdraw certain amounts.
Lewis will be arraigned on the new charges at a later date, the DA’s office said.
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