There are a variety of claims that can be made in the scenario you pose. Perhaps somewhere on the list would be a negligence claim. And I think I have just the right case for you to consider. It involves Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements, a negligence claim, and romance. Stay with me! I’ll explain.
It was in early 2018 that Patricia O’Rourke, a recently divorced 64-year-old who had banked with PNC for many years, enrolled with the online dating service “Plenty of Fish.” In this dating service, she began to cultivate a virtual relationship with an individual identifying himself as “William Riccardo.” Riccardo represented to O’Rourke that he was a doctor in the military stationed in Afghanistan and would be returning to the United States for good following the end of his mission.
After gaining O’Rourke’s trust, Riccardo told her that he acquired five million dollars worth of “gifts” while in Afghanistan but was having trouble facilitating their transfer to the U.S. because of the sudden death of the lawyer who handled all of his financial interests. At this point, Riccardo began soliciting monetary transfers from O’Rourke under the guise of eventually freeing up the alleged five million dollars of “gifts.”
She trusted him and agreed to help. Soon thereafter, she received one request after another from him for funds needed to transfer the package. At Riccardo’s request and direction, O’Rourke paid various persons and companies. The payments totaled $246,600. Of that sum, $75,000 was transferred through PNC Bank.
