OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Gentner Drummond has filed charges against a Pawnee woman for laundering approximately $1.5 million in funds obtained through online romance scams. Christine Joan Echohawk, 53, was arrested Monday on complaints of unlawful use of criminal proceeds and using a computer to violate state statutes.
Echohawk is accused of laundering money from four out-of-state victims between Sept. 30, 2024, and Dec. 26, 2024. All of the victims are elderly women ranging in age from 64 to 79. They believed they were sending funds to, or for the benefit of, a male subject with whom they thought they were in an online romantic relationship.
“These types of scams that target seniors are especially egregious,” Drummond said. “I applaud the work of my Consumer Protection Unit to fight for these victims and to hold accountable their alleged perpetrator.”
One woman sold her house so that she could 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. Drummond’s office received a tip from MidFirst Bank in January of suspected senior-fraud activity after the bank intercepted and held a $120,000 transfer from one of the victims. The Consumer Protection Unit subsequently investigated.
Echohawk is accused of laundering the illegally obtained funds through various accounts, converting them to cryptocurrency and then sending crypto payments to an unidentified suspect.
In January 2024, local law enforcement had confronted Echohawk about suspected criminal activity, but she allegedly continued to launder funds after a short hiatus. She faces five counts that, together, carry 24 to 62 years in prison and up to $260,000 in fines.
Report suspected fraud to Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s Consumer Protection Unit at 833-681-1895 or [email protected].
Read the court filings here and here.
Every person arrested or indicted is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.
