In 2014, former Kirkwood resident Glenda Seim met the man she called “her love” online.
He introduced himself as a U.S. citizen with business interests in Nigeria. Over the next few years, he asked her for money to pay fees and taxes, and despite having only communicated with him through text, Seim complied. She also pawned electronic equipment that was mailed to her and accepted transfers and checks from businesses and people she didn’t know.
Despite numerous warnings from banks and government institutions, Seim continued to do what he asked of her. Between June 2014 and February 2021, she attempted to conduct fraudulent transactions between $550,000 and $1.5 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In February 2022, 81-year-old Seim was sentenced to five years of supervised probation and ordered to repay her victims. The judge was lenient given her willingness to film a public service announcement for the FBI, warning others against becoming a “money mule” victim…
