The California man was arrested Thursday on a 14-count federal charge, claiming he used a dating app to settle a multi-million-dollar match on the guise of an investor, officials said.
Christopher Earl Lloyd, 39, of Orange County, is accused of implementing the plan from April 2021 to February 2024, according to indictment released Thursday by the Department of Justice in the California Central District.
The indictment accused Lloyd of “using dating apps like Tinder, Hinge and Bumble. “Entering a romantic relationship with a victim and engage in romantic relationships” made him lie about his finances and career and have him invest their money. When they sent him cash, he used it for his “personal benefit,” according to federal accusations.
Lloyd told the victims that he allegedly closed several properties, that he had been a long-standing finance manager, that he was the vice president of a company called 13 Holdings, and that he worked for an investment company called Landmark Holdings, none of which was true.
He was convinced that the victim was knowledgeable about investment and, according to the indictment, advised him to send money to him to invest.
The indictment alleges that his victims would see “regular returns” in the money invested in him, and that their investments were “insured to a significant amount.” He also told them they could withdraw their funds at any time, the indictment says.
To justify the process, the indictment alleges that Lloyd signed an agreement that “specified the investment that the victim made,” and created a “scheduling of false returns on the investment.” His victims sent money to many bank accounts they owned via the Wire, Zelle and Cash apps.
“As opposed to using the funds of the victim’s investment, Defendant Lloyd spent it primarily in his own interests,” the indictment states.
The federal complaint lists at least five casualties, and on several occasions have listed wired loyd amounts ranging from $15,500 to $110,000. In total, Lloyd has raised over $2 million from his victims through the scheme, it says.
Lloyd was charged with 13 counts of wire fraud and one count of engaging in financial transactions with property derived from the fraud, the U.S. Lawyer’s Office said in a release.
He first appeared in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on Thursday afternoon, maintaining federal custody.
The attorney representing Lloyd did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If he is convicted, Lloyd will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prisons for each of the 13 wire fraud counts and up to 10 years in prison due to financial transactions counts.
The FBI is investigating.
