Washington man pleads guilty to wire fraud and money laundering in $333,000 fake-persona scam
Rithy Ham of Vancouver, Washington, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering after using two fake female personas to take $333,249.52 from a Portland victim, much of it retirement savings, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon said.
The US Attorney's Office for the District of Oregon announced on 3 November 2026 that Rithy Ham, 45, of Vancouver, Washington, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
According to the US Attorney's Office, from September 2020 to May 2024 Ham created two fake female identities. He used them to convince an adult victim in Portland that the women needed money for living expenses, nursing school tuition and to escape prostitution and sex trafficking. Believing the women were real and in danger, the victim sent money several times. In November 2022 the victim sent $36,872.35, and Ham later wrote an $18,500 check to his wife from those funds. In March 2023 the victim transferred $20,922 from a retirement account into accounts controlled by Ham and his wife.
In total, the victim lost $333,249.52, much of it from retirement savings. Under his plea agreement, Ham agreed to pay full restitution and to a forfeiture money judgment of $333,249.52. Wire fraud carries a maximum of 20 years in federal prison and money laundering a maximum of 10 years. The FBI investigated the case.
Why it matters to AML professionals
Romance and fake-persona scams often show up first as unusual withdrawals from an older customer's savings or retirement account. AML professionals who know the pattern can stop losses early. The receiving accounts in such cases often pass funds to family members, which is where money laundering charges can follow.
Red flags in this case
- A customer makes repeated transfers to a person they have never met, citing emergencies such as medical, school or safety needs
- Early withdrawals from retirement savings by a customer with no clear reason
- Funds received from one individual quickly moved to a relative's account by check or transfer
- Recipient accounts receiving personal payments from an unrelated individual over several years
If this landed in your queue
- Speak with the sending customer about who the recipient is and how they met, using a scam-awareness script
- Review the receiving account for onward transfers to family members or other linked accounts
- Check for other senders paying the same recipient with similar stories
- Escalate for a SAR (suspicious activity report) and follow your elder financial exploitation procedures where they apply
Key terms
- Romance scam
- A fraud where the scammer builds a false relationship, often online, to persuade the victim to send money.
- Forfeiture money judgment
- A court order requiring a defendant to pay the government a sum equal to the proceeds of the crime.
- Restitution
- Money a defendant is ordered to repay to victims for their losses.
Interview angle
A customer is moving retirement savings to someone they met online. What do you do?
Explain how you would talk to the customer, look for scam indicators, review the recipient side if possible, document everything and escalate under your SAR and elder exploitation procedures.
Sources
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