Latest news with #ChristopherEarlLloyd
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
US man arrested for allegedly using dating apps to scam matches out of $2m
A California man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly using dating apps to con his matches out of more than $2m over the course of nearly three years. Allegedly posing as an investor, Christopher Earl Lloyd, 39, of the Los Angeles-area city of Whittier swindled matches that he befriended and romanced on Tinder, Hinge and Bumble. Federal prosecutors have charged Lloyd with 13 counts of wire fraud and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from fraud. According to the indictment, which a federal grand jury returned earlier this month, Lloyd 'lied to his victims to give them the impression that he was financially successful and knowledgeable about investments'. Between April 2021 and February 2024, he falsely told victims that he had worked as a financial manager, was the vice-president of a company called Planet 13 Holdings, worked for an investment company called Landmark Associates and had closed on multiple properties. Lloyd convinced victims to transfer money and property to him via CashApp, Zelle, wire transfers or cash payments and told them 'he knew of investment opportunities that would benefit for them,' the central district of California's US attorney's office said in a press release announcing the arrest. To legitimize himself, Lloyd allegedly drew up false contracts and produced a false schedule of investment returns. He told victims they could withdraw their investments at any time. But instead, federal prosecutors say, he used their money 'for his own personal benefit', including writing a $40,000 check to a Lexus dealership. An attorney representing Lloyd did not immediately respond to requests for comment. If found guilty, Lloyd would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each wire fraud count and up to 10 years on the monetary transaction count. According to prosecutors, the FBI is investigating Lloyd as well.
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
SoCal man used dating apps to swindle matches out of more than $2 million, feds say
A Whittier man was arrested Thursday for allegedly using dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge and Bumble to con people out of more than $2 million, according to authorities. Christopher Earl Lloyd, 39, was charged with 13 counts of wire fraud and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from fraud, according to the U.S. attorney's office for the Central District of California. If convicted, he faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years for the monetary transaction count. Between April 2021 and February 2024, authorities say Lloyd used dating apps and websites to find and contact alleged victims, lying about his financial success and knowledge in investing. Prosecutors also allege Lloyd lied about being a financial manager, the vice president of a company called Planet 13 Holdings and that he worked for an investment company called Landmark Associates. Lloyd allegedly convinced people to invest by telling them he knew of investment opportunities that could help them, according to a statement from prosecutors. He also allegedly told them they would get regular returns and could withdraw their investments at any time. Lloyd allegedly signed contracts; set up a fake schedule of investment returns; and collected money in the form of cash, wire transfers and by using CashApp and Zelle, authorities said. In May 2023, Lloyd allegedly withdrew $40,000 that someone had sent him to write a check at a Lexus dealership in Mission Viejo. Lloyd's alleged scheme cost his victims more than $2 million in losses, officials said.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- The Guardian
US man arrested for allegedly using dating apps to scam matches out of $2m
A California man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly using dating apps to con his matches out of more than $2m over the course of nearly three years. Allegedly posing as an investor, Christopher Earl Lloyd, 39, of the Los Angeles-area city of Whittier swindled matches that he befriended and romanced on Tinder, Hinge and Bumble. Federal prosecutors have charged Lloyd with 13 counts of wire fraud and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from fraud. According to the indictment, which a federal grand jury returned earlier this month, Lloyd 'lied to his victims to give them the impression that he was financially successful and knowledgeable about investments'. Between April 2021 and February 2024, he falsely told victims that he had worked as a financial manager, was the vice-president of a company called Planet 13 Holdings, worked for an investment company called Landmark Associates and had closed on multiple properties. Lloyd convinced victims to transfer money and property to him via CashApp, Zelle, wire transfers or cash payments and told them 'he knew of investment opportunities that would benefit for them,' the central district of California's US attorney's office said in a press release announcing the arrest. To legitimize himself, Lloyd allegedly drew up false contracts and produced a false schedule of investment returns. He told victims they could withdraw their investments at anytime. But instead, federal prosecutors say, he used their money 'for his own personal benefit', including writing a $40,000 check to a Lexus dealership. An attorney representing Lloyd did not immediately respond to requests for comment. If found guilty, Lloyd would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each wire fraud count and up to 10 years on the monetary transaction count. According to prosecutors, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating Lloyd as well.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Fox News
California man accused by feds of scamming $2 million from people on dating apps
A California man was federally charged for allegedly scamming more than $2 million from people over popular dating apps by posing as someone who was "financially successful and knowledgeable about investments," prosecutors said. Christopher Earl Lloyd, 39, of Whittier, is now facing a 14-count federal indictment in connection with the alleged scheme he carried out for nearly three years on dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge and Bumble, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Central District of California. "According to the indictment that a federal grand jury returned on July 2, from April 2021 to February 2024, Lloyd used dating apps and websites to befriend and engage in romantic relationships with his victims. Lloyd lied to his victims to give them the impression that he was financially successful and knowledgeable about investments," the Attorney's Office said. "Lloyd fraudulently induced his victims to provide money and property to him, including in the form of purported investments, by telling them he knew of investment opportunities that would benefit them. Lloyd also told his victims that he would invest their money, that they would receive regular returns on these investments, and that they could withdraw these investments at any time," it added. However, Lloyd used the money that his victims sent him for his own personal benefit, prosecutors said. "For example, in May 2023, Lloyd allegedly withdrew $40,000 in funds a victim sent him to write a check to a Lexus car dealership in Mission Viejo," according to prosecutors. They said Lloyd helped sell the scam by telling his victims that "he had closed on multiple properties, that he had been a financial manager for years, that he was the vice president of a company called Planet 13 Holdings, and that he worked for an investment company called Landmark Associates." "None of these statements was true," the Attorney's Office said. It added that Lloyd "supported his false statements by signing contracts with victims that specified the investments that the victims were to make and setting a false schedule of investment returns" and that they then "sent him money, including via wire transfers, Cash App, Zelle, or cash payments." Lloyd was charged with 13 counts of wire fraud and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from the fraud. "If convicted, Lloyd would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count and up to 10 years in federal prison for the monetary transaction count," prosecutors said. "The FBI is investigating this matter."
NBC News
6 days ago
- NBC News
California man federally charged in alleged dating-app scheme
A California man was arrested on a 14-count federal indictment Thursday that alleges he used dating apps to con matches out of millions of dollars by posing as an investor, officials said. Christopher Earl Lloyd, 39, from Orange County, is accused of executing the scheme from April 2021 until February 2024, according to the indictment, released Thursday by the Department of Justice in the Central District of California. The indictment accuses Lloyd of using dating apps — like Tinder, Hinge and Bumble — to "to befriend and engage in romantic relationships with victims," whom he then lied to about his finances and career to get them to invest their money with him. When they sent him cash, he used it for his "personal benefit," according to the federal indictment. Lloyd told the victims that he had recently closed on multiple properties, that he had been a finance manager for years, that he was vice president of a company called 13 Holdings and that he worked for an investment company called Landmark Holdings — none of which was true, the indictment alleges. He allegedly convinced his victims that he was knowledgeable about investments and encouraged them to send them their money for him to invest, according to the indictment. The indictment alleges he promised his victims would see "regular returns" on the money invested with him and that their investments were "insured up to a significant amount." He also told them they could withdraw their funds at any time, the indictment says. To legitimize the process, Lloyd signed contracts that "specified the investments that the victims were to make" and created "a false schedule of returns on their investments," the indictment alleges. His victims sent money to a number of bank accounts he owned via wire, Zelle, Cash App or by using cash. "Rather than using the victims' funds for investments, defendant Lloyd largely spent it for his own personal benefit," the indictment says, including one 2023 incident in which he used $40,000 of his victims' money to write a check to a Lexus dealership in Southern California. The federal indictment lists at least five victims who, on multiple occasions, wired Lloyd amounts that ranged from $15,500 to $110,000. In total, Lloyd collected more than $2 million from his victims through the scheme. Lloyd was charged with 13 counts of wire fraud and one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from the fraud, according to a release from the United States Attorney's Office in the Central District of California. He made an initial appearance at the United States District Court in Santa Ana on Thursday afternoon and remains in federal custody. A lawyer representing Lloyd did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. If he is convicted, Lloyd would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of the 13 wire fraud counts and up to 10 years in prison for the monetary transaction count. The FBI is investigating the case.
