Wake County Woman Involved in $2 Million International Romance Scam Sentenced to Two Years for Money Laundering and Tax Fraud

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wake County woman who engaged as a money mule or “middleman” to defraud multiple victims in an international romance fraud scheme was sentenced today to 24 months, 3 years supervised release, and ordered to pay $109,119 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.  Michon Griffin, age 46, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and making false statements on her individual income tax return Form 1040 on July 10, 2024.

A romance scam is a type of internet-enabled fraud scheme that occurs when a fraudster adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s affection and trust.  The fraudster then uses the illusion of a romantic relationship to manipulate and exploit the victim for financial gain by stealing their money across international borders. Some fraudsters rely on money mules to move the proceeds of their illegal activity.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, between 2021 to 2023 Griffin received over $2 million dollars from the international romance fraud scheme that she deposited into fictitious bank accounts she controlled, located at sixteen separate financial institutions. Griffin converted the funds into virtual currency and wired the funds to overseas accounts controlled by her coconspirators who were located in Nigeria. Griffin received approximately $300,000 in commissions for her role in the fraud scheme, which she did not report as income on her 2021 individual income tax return Form 1040.

Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle sentenced the defendant. The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Ontjes is prosecuted the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-173-BO.

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