Six individuals, five of them from Medelpad, Sweden, have been convicted for money laundering offenses connected to online fraud schemes that targeted victims across the country. According to court documents, the group received and funneled millions of kronor obtained through romance scams and fake lottery winnings between 2020 and 2021.
The fraud schemes reportedly involved eleven victims who were deceived through various methods, including building long-term online relationships to pressure them for money for supposed customs fees or fabricated medical operations. One victim was allegedly manipulated into transferring approximately 3.5 million kronor over two years to a man she believed needed medical care in the United States.
Senior prosecutor Catharina Kjelsson, who handled the case, had sought prison sentences for all defendants. However, the district court imposed conditional sentences instead, citing that too much time had passed between the offenses and the verdicts. The convicted individuals were ordered to pay a total of approximately 2.6 million kronor in damages to their victims.
One particularly distressing aspect of the case involved a victim who reportedly threatened to take her own life in messages to the fraudsters, describing how she had been forced to take large loans and continued to face pressure for additional transfers despite her desperate situation.