Wilkes-Barre Woman Sentenced To 42 Months’ Imprisonment For Executing Romance Scam

SCRANTON—The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Joy Dykes, age 37, of Wilkes-Barre, was sentenced on October 29, 2019, to 42 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani for her involvement in a romance scam that duped an unsuspecting victim out of approximately $124,000.

According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Dykes previously admitted to conspiring to commit money laundering by wire fraud on November 30, 2018.  Dykes’ was involved in an on-line scheme to defraud a Staten Island, New York woman of money by creating multiple fictitious identities.  Dykes lured the victim into a romantic relationship, and solicited money from the victim for allegedly buying a house jointly with the fictitious boyfriend in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Dykes then pretended to be a lawyer prosecuting the fictitious boyfriend for defaulting on the mortgage payments and would threaten the victim that she would be arrested for nonpayment by impersonating an FBI agent. The scheme involved threats and coercion, to which the victim responded by sending cash and/or money transfers to Dykes.

Dykes unlawfully received approximately $124,000 from the victim of the fraud.  The money laundering conspiracy began in November 2011 and continued through February 2016.  

Judge Mariani decided to depart upwards from the 24 to 30 months’ guidelines to 42 months, by describing the crime as “predatory, cruel, deceitful, and prolonged, with a significant impact on the victim.” Judge Mariani also ordered Dykes to serve two years on supervised release following her prison sentence, and ordered her to pay $124,759.00 in restitution to the victim. 

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Scranton Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Michelle L. Olshefski prosecuted the case.

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