British man posed as billionaire, tricked Portlander in $1.9 million online romance scheme
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A British man was sentenced to prison Wednesday after posing as a billionaire online, tricking a Portland resident, then stealing nearly $1.9 million from them in a romance fraud scheme.
Oscar Peters, 65, was sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Following his indictment by a federal grand jury in Portland in 2019, Peters was arrested in the United Kingdom in 2020 and then extradited from the U.K. to the United States in 2023.
The charge stems from a fraudulent, long-distance romance Peters began with his victim through the online dating site Millionaire Match Maker, court documents say. Peters claimed to be a billionaire living in Denmark, seeking long-term commitment and convincing his victim in Portland of the legitimacy of the romance via online communications and over the phone.
"(The) defendant engaged in daily romantic emails and phone calls with his victim and ingratiated himself with promises of marriage. Defendant then concocted elaborate lies about why he needed financial assistance – ranging from his soon-to-be ex-wife had frozen his assets or needed money to complete business obligations for their future together," the U.S. DOJ said in a press release. "With (the) defendant’s calculated promises to repay the money and move to Portland, over about two years he convinced his victim to send him nearly $1.9 million."
Peters was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, 3 years supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,892,439 in restitution to his victim.