A 45-year-old man from Vancouver, Washington, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of wire fraud and money laundering. Rithy Ham admitted in court to defrauding a Portland resident between September 2020 and May 2024. According to court documents, Ham constructed two fictitious female identities and used them to build a relationship with the victim over several years. He persuaded the victim that both women were real and in desperate circumstances, requiring financial help for living costs and to free themselves from commercial exploitation.
Ham communicated with the victim both under his own name and through the fabricated personas, sustaining the illusion across multiple interactions. In November 2022, he escalated the scheme by claiming one of the fictitious women urgently needed funds to escape traffickers, prompting the victim to transfer $36,872.35. Ham subsequently wrote an $18,500 cheque to his wife using a portion of that money. The victim lost a significant amount of money, with a large portion drawn from their retirement savings.
The total amount taken from the victim was $333,249.52. In March 2023, further false representations led the victim to withdraw $20,922 from a retirement account, which was then deposited into bank accounts controlled by Ham and his wife. The FBI is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Bateman is prosecuting. Ham's actions demonstrate the severity of romance scams and the importance of verifying the identities of individuals online.
Ham pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Under the terms of his plea agreement, he acknowledged the factual basis of both charges and agreed to pay full restitution to the victim. He also agreed to a forfeiture money judgement of $333,249.52. This agreement will likely impact his sentencing, which is yet to be determined.
Wire fraud carries a maximum federal sentence of 20 years in prison, while money laundering carries a maximum of 10 years. Both charges also carry potential fines, up to three years of supervised release, and mandatory fee assessments. The U.S. Attorney's Office is working to ensure that Ham is held accountable for his actions.
This case is not an isolated incident. There have been other instances of individuals pleading guilty to similar fraud cases in the US. For example, a Togolese man, Gedeon Mawulolo Agbeyome, recently pleaded guilty to a fraud case involving nearly $3 million. These cases highlight the need for vigilance when interacting with individuals online.
Rithy Ham's guilty plea serves as a warning to those who would engage in similar schemes. The US Department of Justice is committed to prosecuting those who commit wire fraud and money laundering. Ham's case will likely serve as an example in future cases involving romance scams and online deception.
Key points
- Rithy Ham, 45, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering after tricking a Portland resident into sending him over $333,000.
- Ham created two fictitious female personas to build a relationship with the victim and solicit money for false emergencies.
- Ham faces a maximum federal sentence of 30 years in prison and potential fines for his crimes.
