FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – They employed a wide range of complex schemes to rip off victims via the internet.
At various times they used business email compromise, military and romance schemes as well as Small Business Administration loan fraud in their attempts to bilk victims out of money – and they targeted a local car dealership for over $130,000 with the intent of getting more than $5 million from others.
Now, a Minnesota woman is facing federal charges here in Fort Wayne for her role in the scams coordinated by multiple people that may have been used throughout the country.
U.S. District Court prosecutors have charged Kirsten M. Blackwell with multiple felony counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and forfeiture and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and forfeiture. Blackwell, whose age was not given, is facing decades in prison if convicted.
Her co-conspirators have not yet been named in court documents.
Police arrested Blackwell in Minnesota this week and are holding her without bond because she “is a danger to the community and a flight risk,” federal court documents said.
According to court documents, Blackwell established a Minnesota business named K&K Consulting in 2019 and another business called H&B Consulting in 2021.
In April 2021, an unidentified local car dealership planned to invest in technology from a golf technology company…