An American has pleaded guilty to posing as a surgeon and committing numerous “romantic scams” on more than 30 women he met through dating websites, the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida reported Thursday.
Brian Brainard, 46, who used a dozen aliases such as “Dr. Anthony Watkins” or “Dr. Brian Chris,” posed as a doctor on online dating forums to meet women and get money and property from them.
Brainard admitted causing, or intending to cause, a total loss of more than $1.3 million to more than 30 women.
When he was charged in November 2021, authorities indicated that this Floridian fraudulently obtained more than $750,000 in funds and property as a result of his frauds.
The detainee pleaded guilty Thursday to 25 charges, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, the US Department of Justice explained in a statement.
Between October 2016 and March 2021, Brainard made a series of promises to victims to convince them to send him money and buy him jewelry and watches.
This is a type of fraud that has gained notoriety after it premiered last February on Netflix “The Tinder Swindler” (“The Tinder Swindler”), a documentary about the crimes of the Israeli swindler Simon Leviev, who pretended to be by a wealthy tycoon to woo women online and then swindle them out of millions of dollars.
The fake Floridian doctor faces up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud and mail fraud charges, up to 10 years on the money laundering charges, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 2 years in prison on the aggravated identity theft charge.
“We will continue to investigate those who target innocent people and abuse their trust for financial gain,” said Juan A. Vargas, Acting Inspector in Charge of the US Postal Inspection Service’s Miami division.
The Justice Department asked other possible victims of Brainard to contact them to report what happened. EFE
