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Oklahoma woman charged with laundering $1.5M from senior women through internet romance scam

An Oklahoma woman was charged after allegedly laundering about $1.5 million in funds obtained through online romance scams.

Oklahoma woman charged with laundering $1.5M from senior women through internet romance scam

An Oklahoma woman was charged after allegedly laundering about $1.5 million in funds obtained through online romance scams.

COMING UP HERE WITH YOUR NEXT WEATHER. ON THE FIVES. ALL RIGHT JONATHAN. THANK YOU. NEW THIS MORNING, A PERSON HIT BY A CAR IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA CITY. AND POLICE SAY THAT DRIVER SPED AWAY. THIS HAPPENING JUST AFTER 1130 LAST NIGHT NEAR SOUTH MACARTHUR AND WEST RENO. OKLAHOMA CITY POLICE SAY THE VICTIM CALLED OFFICERS. AND RIGHT NOW, NO WORD ON THEIR CONDITION. BUT POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR THE SUSPECT RIGHT NOW. STAY WITH KOCO FOR UPDATES. IT IS NOW OFFICIAL. TWO SPORTS FROM THE 2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS SOFTBALL AND CANOE SLALOM WILL BE STAGED IN THEIR ENTIRETY IN AMERICA’S 20TH LARGEST CITY. AND HAPPENING TODAY, OKC CITY LEADERS PREPARING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT TO BE ON US. NOW THAT IT’S OFFICIAL TIME TO GET READY TO HOST PART OF THE 2028 OLYMPICS. KOCO’S AUDREY GOODSON JOINS US LIVE NOW WITH WHAT’S TO BE EXPECTED FROM A BIG MEETING TODAY. AUDREY. THAT’S RIGHT. BIG MEETING TODAY IS OKLAHOMA CITY IS SET TO HOST SEVERAL OLYMPIC GAMES IN 2028. NOW, CITY COUNCIL SAYS THE PLANNING PROCESS BEGINS. SO THEY’RE GOING TO BE MEETING HERE TODAY TO TALK ALL ABOUT THAT AND WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO STAGE LARGE EVENTS LIKE THE CANOE SLALOM COMPETITION AND SOFTBALL. THE CITY WILL SOON PUT TOGETHER A TEAM OF PEOPLE, ALONG WITH THE OKC CHAMBER, WHO WILL HELP MAKE DECISIONS LIKE WHERE TO PUT AN OKC OLYMPIC VILLAGE. NOW, AS OF NOW, NO ONE IS SHARING WHERE IT WILL GO, BUT THE GREATER OKC CHAMBER DOES SAY THAT IT’S SOMETHING THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON. A LOT TO TALK ABOUT WITH THIS. IT’S NOT THE ONLY IMPORTANT ITEM ON TODAY’S AGENDA THOUGH, AUDREY. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT’S RIGHT. ANOTHER BIG AGENDA THAT WE’RE GOING TO SEE IS AN EFFORT TO BRING HOUSING VOUCHERS TO VETERANS. THIS IS PART OF A MAPS FOR HOMELESSNESS PROGRAM, WHICH WOULD HELP VETERANS FIND SUPPORT LIKE PROJECT BASED VOUCHERS. AND IT WOULD GIVE THE OKLAHOMA CITY HOUSING AUTHORITY THE ABILITY TO GIVE THEM RESOURCES THEY MIGHT NEED. NOW, KOCO WILL BE AT THIS MEETING TODAY TO BRING YOU THE VERY LATEST TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE STICKING WITH US IN OKLAHOMA CITY. AUDREY, JASMINE, KOCO FIVE NEWS. YEAH, COULD BE GETTING SOME KEY INFORMATION. WE KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE IN OKLAHOMA CITY EXCITED ABOUT THE CHANCE TO HOST SOME OF THE OLYMPIC EVENTS. THAT INCLUDES SKY 5 PILOT CHASE RUTLEDGE. WHAT’S HE NOT EXCITED ABOUT? SKY 5 THE ONLY NEWS HELICOPTER UP FOR US EVERY WEEKDAY MORNING AND CHASE, RIGHT NOW YOU’RE OVER RIVER SPORT, WHERE OLYMPIC ATHLETES WILL COMPETE HERE IN 2028. EXCITING. YEAH THAT’S RIGHT GUYS. IT’S VERY, VERY EXCITING. AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW WE’RE GOING TO BE UP COVERING IT AS MUCH AS WE CAN. AND WE’RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE THE RAPIDS AREA. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE AREAS WHERE WE’RE GOING TO BE HOSTING IT FOR THE 28 OLYMPICS. AND RIGHT HERE, THE ICF WORLD RANKING COMPETITION WAS JUST HELD LAST MONTH. AND THAT’S A HUGE STEP FOR THOSE ATHLETES TOWARDS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. SO THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT MORE EVENTS THAT HAPPEN BETWEEN NOW AND 2028 COMING UP ON, YOU KNOW, APPROACHING THE OLYMPICS FROM HERE. AND ALSO AT THE THE DEVIN, THE DEVIN COMPLEX OVER THERE SO WE CAN COVER SOFTBALL. THIS IS GOING TO BE EXCITING. WE’RE GOING TO BE HE
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Oklahoma woman charged with laundering $1.5M from senior women through internet romance scam

An Oklahoma woman was charged after allegedly laundering about $1.5 million in funds obtained through online romance scams.

An Oklahoma woman was charged after allegedly laundering about $1.5 million in funds obtained through online romance scams. >> Open the video player above for more top headlines.Christine Joan Echohawk, a 53-year-old from Pawnee, was arrested Monday and is accused of laundering the money from out-of-state victims between Sept. 30, 2024, and Dec. 26, 2024. All of the victims were between the ages of 64 and 79. The victims believed they were sending money to a male subject whom they thought they were in an online relationship with, according to a news release by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. One of the women sold her home to send $600,000 to the scammer."The victims sent Apple gift cards, cash and cashiers’ checks as well as wired money to accounts owned by Echohawk at MidFirst Bank," according to the news release. Drummond's office received a tip from the bank in January after it held a $120,000 transfer from one of the victims, suspecting senior-fraud activity. >> Download the KOCO 5 App | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channelEchohawk is believed to have been converting the funds into cryptocurrency and sending those payments to an unidentified suspect. She was charged with unlawful use of criminal proceeds and using a computer to violate state statutes. She faces five total counts that could carry between 24 and 62 years in prison and up to $260,000 in fines. The case was investigated by the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Unit. Top HeadlinesVIDEO: Owner reunites with dog 5 years after he goes missing amid hurricaneCrash involving 3 vehicles causes long traffic backup on I-44 in southwest Oklahoma CityGet the Facts: Major stock markets plummeted last week. Here's how they compare historicallySupreme Court blocks order to reinstate thousands of fired federal employeesPolice investigate hit-and-run in west Oklahoma City

An Oklahoma woman was charged after allegedly laundering about $1.5 million in funds obtained through online romance scams.

>> Open the video player above for more top headlines.

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Christine Joan Echohawk, a 53-year-old from Pawnee, was arrested Monday and is accused of laundering the money from out-of-state victims between Sept. 30, 2024, and Dec. 26, 2024. All of the victims were between the ages of 64 and 79.

The victims believed they were sending money to a male subject whom they thought they were in an online relationship with, according to a news release by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

One of the women sold her home to send $600,000 to the scammer.

"The victims sent Apple gift cards, cash and cashiers’ checks as well as wired money to accounts owned by Echohawk at MidFirst Bank," according to the news release.

Drummond's office received a tip from the bank in January after it held a $120,000 transfer from one of the victims, suspecting senior-fraud activity.

>> Download the KOCO 5 App | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel

Echohawk is believed to have been converting the funds into cryptocurrency and sending those payments to an unidentified suspect.

She was charged with unlawful use of criminal proceeds and using a computer to violate state statutes. She faces five total counts that could carry between 24 and 62 years in prison and up to $260,000 in fines.

The case was investigated by the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Unit.


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