Last year, Glenda Seim became : a senior who went from being the victim of a Nigerian scam artist to joining him in fraud. In November, the 81-year-old Kirkwood widow pleaded guilty to two felony charges alleging she was a 鈥渕oney mule鈥� who assisted in fraudulent transactions totaling as much as $1.5 million.
Seim, who now lives in Webster Groves, was sentenced in federal court yesterday. And while sentencing guidelines called for four years in prison, even the prosecutor urged the judge to show mercy.
Seim, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry, had shown 鈥渆xtreme remorse,鈥� not only repenting from her crimes but filming a . In it, Seim detailed falling in love with a man she鈥檇 never met 鈥� and ignoring friends, family members and even law enforcement when they sought to persuade her to stop sending him money and, ultimately, facilitating his fraud.
Seim knew, Berry wrote in court filings, that the video could open her up to 鈥渟ubstantial public attention and ridicule.鈥� But she did it to warn others.
Judge Stephen Clark agreed. He sentenced Seim to probation, along with orders to repay her victims.
Berry said that learning the details of Seim鈥檚 fall from grace was eye-opening, even for a prosecutor who specializes in these crimes. Seim鈥檚 public defender described sitting down with the elderly woman and walking her step by step through all the ways she鈥檇 been lied to.
鈥淎nd she said at one point she saw the light go on, and she saw Miss Seim realize what she had done, and that she had been swindled,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e do not want people to end up having to appear in federal court or in state court to have that light go on.鈥�
Berry joined Friday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air for a closer look at the way locals are both victimized and victimizers in online financial fraud. A Federal Trade Commission report stated that seniors in romance scams were swindled out of $139 million in 2020, an increase from $84 million from 2019.
Journalist Ryan Krull, who chronicled the fallout in a , explained that while it鈥檚 hard to quantify the exact toll, the trend is clear: 鈥淭hey've become more prevalent since the pandemic, as people are more isolated, more alone.鈥�
And it鈥檚 not just obviously lonely people. Krull said some victims he talked to were in committed relationships 鈥� they were people who 鈥渟eemingly had very full lives, who still fell for this.鈥�
In one case, a victim told law enforcement officers that she knew all about the kinds of fraud they were talking abou, and even shared with them links from 鈥淒r. Phil鈥� covering similar cases.
鈥淎nd then she turned around and ripped off her family members,鈥� Berry recalled.
Berry stressed that, while some people refuse to see reason, others come around. She urged people with family members or friends being affected to keep trying 鈥� and get others involved if need be.
鈥淟aw enforcement is willing to work with individuals, to warn them and to try to get them to stop,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ometimes a visit from a federal agent makes all the difference in the world, and what their friends do, what their loved ones do, can make a difference.鈥�
鈥淪o I just urge people, don't give up on them. Don't stop.鈥�
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , and . Jane Mather-Glass is our production assistant. The audio engineer is .
