Indicted couple allegedly used Internet to bilk lovelorn men

UNION-TRIBUNE ^ | May 17, 2003 | Alex Roth

[jern]

Indicted couple allegedly used Internet to bilk lovelorn men

By Alex Roth UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

May 17, 2003

A husband and wife have been indicted in San Diego federal court on charges of using the Internet to sucker lovelorn men into shelling out money for prospective Russian wives and girlfriends who didn't exist.

The case was one of several cited by Attorney General John Ashcroft in a Washington, D.C., news conference yesterday to announce a crackdown on Internet scams.

Ashcroft said federal authorities have charged 135 people with Internet scams in recent months. The crimes range from conducting bogus auctions to setting up fake banking Web sites to collect account numbers.

In the San Diego case, a San Bernardino County couple was arrested earlier this week on charges of using the Internet to pose as Russian women seeking companionship. These fake women would strike up online romances with unsuspecting men and then ask for financial help to travel to the United States to meet them, according a federal indictment issued May 7.

Robert McCoy, 39, and Anna Grountovaia, 31, both of Rancho Cucamonga pleaded not guilty Tuesday in San Diego federal court to wire fraud and other charges. Both are in federal custody here.

Authorities say the couple bilked men around the country, including at least four in San Diego County, out of $600,000 to $1 million.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego wouldn't comment about the case yesterday. McCoy's lawyer didn't return a phone call seeking comment; Grountovaia's lawyer couldn't be located.

A hearing is scheduled Tuesday to decide whether the couple should remain in custody and, if so, what the bail should be.

[SouthernFreebird]

"lovelorn men"

Yeah right, you mean h0rny old men willing to pay for it....

[martin_fierro]

WHAT? NO! SAY IT AIN'T SO!

My faceless e-mail lover Annika from Sweden would NEVER lie to me!!

Right? Right?

As soon as Dr. Innocent Wakatumbe from Nigeria pays me the $4,567,873,234.33 that I have coming to me, Annika and I are eloping to Lodi.

<|:)~

[Cicero]

I suppose there may be several groups emailing this spam, but I think I deleted some such message from my email just a few days ago with the other trash.

[U S Army EOD]

I got two of these tonight and now in the process of trying to sell my body to the Sweadish Female gymnastics team.

[xJones]

I got two of these tonight and now in the process of trying to sell my body to the Sweadish Female gymnastics team.

They won't respect your mind, it's only your body they're after. Don't let them win! :D

[U S Army EOD]

I don't care how my mind feels about this, its my body I'm trying to make happy.

[xJones]

The Swedish female gymnastic team is going to make your body feel happy? Quickly, learn how to say, "Helsike, Ingeberta, min ryggrad ist ruinerad!" ["Golly", Ingeberta, my back is broken!] :)

[RJayneJ]

Quote of the Day by Drango

[U S Army EOD]

Think you could teach me how to say something a little more personal??

[Pyro7480]

I have only one thing to say in response to this: "A fool and his money are soon parted."