Florida Woman Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering

Cristine Petitfrere, a 30-year-old woman from Miramar, Florida, has pleaded guilty to laundering over $2.7 million obtained from romance scams targeting vulnerable Americans, particularly seniors. She operated through her LLC and transferred funds to a co-conspirator in Ghana while keeping a substantial cut for herself. The Department of Justice reported that romance scams cost Americans $1.14 billion in 2023 alone. In a separate case, Shenita R. Banks, 50, from Newport News, Virginia, also pleaded guilty to laundering proceeds from a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan application, despite having no legitimate business operations. Banks falsely claimed significant payroll costs to secure $145,833 in funding, which she subsequently laundered. Both women face significant prison time, with sentencing for Petitfrere set for December 11, 2024, and Banks on January 29, 2025.