Two defendants were sentenced for their roles in an international fraud scheme that targeted senior individuals in multiple states, including Michigan, according to an announcement made by U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten.
Jmyla Elaine Sha’Taria White, 29, of Thonotosassa, Florida, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,224,549 in restitution to victims of the conspiracy that she defrauded.
McKhaela Katelynn McNamara, 28, of Flint, Michigan, was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $693,073 in restitution to victims.
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“Our seniors are being targeted by financial scammers at an alarming rate,” said U.S. Attorney Totten. “My office is committed to educating the public about financial schemes that inflict financial harm and defraud unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned money. We will continue working with our local, state, and federal partners to hold fraudsters accountable and secure a measure of justice for their victims.”
White and McNamara were two of seven defendants charged last year with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Both pled guilty in January 2024. When imposing the sentences, U.S. District Judge Jane M. Beckering said, “This is one of the most reprehensible fraud schemes I have seen. This wasn’t just a theft of money. It was a theft of dignity, and a theft of security. This was a heinous crime that devastated people who worked hard their whole lives, and now their money is gone.”
The fraud scheme began when victims received a message on their computers warning that a virus had infected their devices. The messages urged the victims to call a number to get help.
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When the victims called the number provided, they got a response from someone claiming to work for a tech company, such as Microsoft or Apple. In truth, they were scammers located in India, who scared the victims into giving money to the conspiracy with a variety of different ruses.
In one version of the scam, victims were told that their bank accounts had been compromised and they needed to withdraw all their cash and give it to fake “federal agents” for safekeeping. In another version, victims were told that their computers had been infected by a virus and they needed to pay for technical support.
In a third version, victims were told that they had been identified in a criminal investigation and needed to turn over money to clear their names. Regardless of which ruse was used, the result was the same: victims were convinced to give money to the scammers.
Victims did this during in-person meetings with fake “federal agents,” by mailing boxes of cash to addresses provided by the scammers, by wire transfers to bank accounts controlled by the scammers, or through gift cards they purchased at the direction of the scammers.
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According to court records, White and McNamara personally met with victims to collect packages of money from them, which they then passed on to higher-level members of the conspiracy. White also recruited others to join the conspiracy. A victim in West Michigan lost $398,000 to the conspiracy.
“The defendants participated in an elaborate fraud conspiracy that targeted mostly elderly victims, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “Every day, fraudsters are becoming more clever and organized to steal citizens’ hard-earned money, so it is important to report these crimes to the FBI for help. If you believe you may have fallen victim to a scheme like this, you can file a report at ic3.gov or contact our office at 313-965-2323.”
The Justice Department, FBI, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service recently announced the completion of “The Money Mule Initiative,” a national campaign to identify, disrupt, and criminally prosecute complex fraud schemes. These schemes often rely on “money mules” – people who receive fraudulent proceeds, retain a portion, and forward the remainder to a co-conspirator – to facilitate schemes that often originate overseas. Many “advance fee” fraud schemes target older Americans and use various false stories designed to manipulate victims to mail, wire, or hand money to “money mules” located in the United States.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan. Assistant United States Attorney Clay Stiffler prosecuted the case.
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