A St. Louis County woman has admitted to her involvement in an online fraud scheme that resulted in losses estimated at $1 million. Shirley Waller, 43, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, among other offenses.
Waller’s role involved assisting scammers who deceived victims out of approximately $1,068,834. The investigation began when a 71-year-old victim reported mailing $35,000 to Waller’s address as part of a romance scam. Authorities tracked the cash shipment using IP addresses located in Nigeria. Over a period ending November 1, 2023, more than 70 Express Mail packages were sent to Waller’s residence.
During a search of her home on January 12, 2024, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service discovered firearms and numerous packages addressed under variations of Waller’s name. These packages contained cash from older adults targeted by online scams. Waller would then transfer portions of this money to Nigeria through cryptocurrency and other electronic methods.
Additionally, Waller admitted to filing fraudulent applications for loans. She secured a Paycheck Protection Program loan worth $19,235 by falsely claiming ownership of a business in Michigan and used these funds for international travel rather than business purposes. Another fraudulent loan application was submitted for a resale shop in St. Louis; however, this attempt was unsuccessful.
Waller also confessed to obtaining a $196,000 mortgage loan through false claims regarding her marital status and income while providing counterfeit financial documents.
Sentencing is set for September 29 with each charge carrying up to 20 years imprisonment or fines up to $250,000 or both. In March, she received a separate sentence of 15 months for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service along with the Town and Country Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is leading the prosecution.
