Lori Ann Kimball, a 52-year-old resident of Castle Rock, was sentenced on Mar. 24 to one year and one day in federal prison and ordered to pay $3,112,990.13 in restitution after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Kimball’s sentencing follows her involvement in a scheme that moved the proceeds of mail and wire fraud from the United States to Nigeria. According to court documents, from January 2023 through at least February 2025, Kimball conspired with another individual as part of what is known as a ‘pig butchering scheme.’ In these schemes, scammers use fake identities on social media or dating platforms to build trust with victims before convincing them to send money through wire transfers, checks, or virtual currency.
Kimball was initially targeted by such a scam herself but later began laundering funds received from other victims. Despite being warned by local law enforcement about her activities, she continued transferring over $3.4 million she received from victims into cryptocurrency accounts under her own name before moving those assets into digital wallets controlled primarily by individuals in Nigeria. Authorities say Kimball also provided false information to banks and cryptocurrency exchanges and utilized at least 20 bank accounts and seven cryptocurrency accounts during the conspiracy.
“Sadly, Ms. Kimball was herself a victim of this malicious scheme, but she then joined those who targeted her to help steal millions of dollars from others. She continued even after local law enforcement warned to stop her criminal behavior,” said United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly. “I urge all Coloradans to use caution when placing their trust in people they meet online, especially when those people ask for money.”
Amanda Prestegard, Special Agent in Charge at IRS-Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office said: “Romance scams leave deep emotional and financial scars, and the bad actors like Kimball, who help launder the proceeds of these scams, cause significant harm to victims and enable criminal networks.” Prestegard added: “IRS-CI will continue to follow the money to expose and disrupt these schemes and hold the network of criminals involved accountable.”
United States District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney presided over sentencing proceedings for this case (1:25-cr-00054-CNS), which was investigated by Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation division. Assistant United States Attorney Craig Fansler handled prosecution.
