A 53-year-old woman from Pawnee, Christine Joan Echohawk, has been arrested on charges related to laundering nearly $1.5 million in funds obtained through an online romance scam targeting elderly women. Echohawk faces charges of unlawful use of criminal proceeds and using a computer to violate state statutes.
The charges stem from an investigation that revealed Echohawk allegedly laundered money from four out-of-state victims between September and December 2024. The victims, all women aged between 64 and 79, believed they were sending money to men they had formed romantic relationships with online. In some cases, one victim sold her home to send as much as $600,000.
According to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, the victims were tricked into sending Apple gift cards, cash, cashier’s checks, and wire transfers to accounts held by Echohawk at MidFirst Bank. The scam was first uncovered when MidFirst Bank flagged a suspicious $120,000 transfer and alerted Drummond’s office about the potential senior fraud activity.
Echohawk is accused of laundering the stolen funds through multiple accounts, converting the money into cryptocurrency, and then transferring the crypto payments to an unknown suspect. Authorities claim that Echohawk resumed laundering activities after being confronted by law enforcement in January 2024.
Echohawk faces five felony counts, with a potential prison sentence of 24 to 64 years and up to $260,000 in fines if convicted. Drummond expressed his concern over scams targeting seniors, emphasizing the importance of holding perpetrators accountable and protecting vulnerable victims.
