Florida man conned women on dating apps out of $1.3M, prosecutors say
Brian B. Wedgeworth, who posed as a doctor, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.
A man who posed as a doctor on dating platforms and conned women across the country into giving him money, luxury items and their bank details pleaded guilty last week to wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft in a Florida federal court.
According to The New York Times, Brian B. Wedgeworth pretended to be a physician and surgeon who attended schools like Johns Hopkins University, Harvard Medical School and the University of Pennsylvania. He allegedly developed romantic relationships with women he’s suspected to have conned with his wiles.
“The Casanova Scammer,” as he was dubbed by law enforcement officials, made his false claims on websites like Match.com, Christian Mingle and Elite Singles, where he stole $1.3 million, possibly more, from over 30 women between 2016 and 2021.
The 46-year-old man received Rolexes, Super Bowl game tickets and bank information from his victims, the prosecutors said. He used an array of false names, including Dr. Brian Anderson, Dr. Anthony Watkins, Dr. Brian Adams, Dr. Edward Chen, Dr. Brian Chris, Dr. Chris Williamson, Dr. Brian Christopher Williamson, Dr. Brian Edmonds, Dr. Brian Ammerson, Dr. Brian Lamar Wilson, Dr. Brian Wilson, Dr. Brian Mims and Dr. Brian Lamar Sims, according to the Department of Justice.
Its officials want any person fearing they may have fallen victim to Wedgeworth’s charms to email authorities at [email protected].
Wedgeworth reportedly told some of his victims that he was part of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, according to The Times, as a number of the victims were members of sororities. He also promised to pay off their loans and other debts so that he could obtain their banking information and Social Security numbers.
Wedgeworth was initially indicted in November after the United State Postal Inspection Service and the IRS conducted an investigation.
“Rooting out fraudulent schemes furthered by the U.S. Mail, such as romance scams, remains a top priority for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service,” Juan A. Vargas, acting inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Miami, said in a statement. “Our agency will continue to investigate those that target innocent individuals and abuse their trust for financial gain.”
Wedgeworth is set to be sentenced on August 8 in Tallahassee, Florida. He faces up to 20 years for wire and mail fraud charges, up to 10 years for money laundering, and is seeing a minimum sentence of two years in prison, per the DOJ.
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