Two people were sentenced after creating fake female identities on dating websites and convincing young, enlisted Marines to take out loans and divulge financial information.
Jones Tyler Martin of Hampton, South Carolina, and Hailey Tykoski of Wayne, Michigan, were sentenced Monday for defrauding Marines, including Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and California, said WNCT 9.
After the Marines believed they were in a romantic online relationship, Martin would use the personal information the Marines shared to conduct wire transfers into another account, said WNCT.
"The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office in this district treat cases such as this one with high priority," John Stuart Bruce, U.S. attorney for the eastern district of North Carolina, told WNCT. "There will continue to be vigorous prosecution of those who commit fraud and cybercrimes targeting members of the armed services and veterans."
According to the Department of Justice, Martin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft on Jan. 30, and was sentenced to 57 months in prison, plus five years of supervised release with an order to pay $117,306.42 in restitution.
Tykoski also plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was given five years of probation with an order to pay $42,289.05 in restitution, said the DoJ.
