Pawnee woman accused of laundering $1.5M from elderly victims

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - According to the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, a Pawnee woman has been arrested and accused of laundering money.

Officials say Attorney General Gentner Drummond has filed charges against 53-year-old Christine Echohawk for laundering about $1.5 million obtained through romance scams.

Echohawk is accused of laundering money from four victims between September 30, 2024 and Decemember 26, 2024. All four of the victims were elderly women between the ages of 64 and 79 living out-of-state. They thought they were sending money to a man they believed to be in an online romantic relationship with.

"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."

According to the A.G.'s Office, one victim even sold her house so she could send $600,000. The victims sent Apple gift cards, cash and cashiers' checks as well as wired money to accounts owned by Echohawk.

Drummond's office got a tip from Echohawk's bank in January of suspected fraud, leading the bank to intercept and hold $120,000 from one of the victims. The Consumer Protection Unit began investigating.

Echohawk was arrested on Monday on complaints of unlawful use of criminal proceeds and using a computer to violate state statutes. She is accused of laundering the money she got from the elderly victims through multiple accounts before converting them to cryptocurrency to send to an unknown suspect.

No more information is available as the investigation continues.