A woman who prosecutors say invented a string of false identities has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison, and one of her alleged victims was a Washington Redskins player.
According to Fox News and The Washington Post, Siew Im, 59, pleaded guilty to identity fraud after her 2017 arrest. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria, Virginia, said in a press release that she entered the country about 18 years ago using the identity of a 66 year old Malaysian woman named Sau Hoon. A prosecutor called her a “one woman crime spree” at her sentencing in a Virginia court earlier this month.
Court filings describe other alleged victims too, including a chef, a trainer, and an appointee of the Virginia governor. The Washington Post reported that she stole at least six identities. Fox News reported that she claimed to be the granddaughter of Singapore’s first prime minister and a close friend of former President Obama.
The player was not named in court papers, and Fox News reported that he did not comment. His agent also declined to comment to Fox News, but did write a letter to the judge before sentencing. In it, the agent said he and his client knew her as Cindy Lin and put 1.2 million dollars in 2015 into a company that was supposed to buy the Washington Wizards. The agent wrote that they grew suspicious because of her lavish lifestyle, her high end sports cars, and the inconsistencies in her stories. He described her as very manipulative and said she showed no remorse.
She told The Washington Post by phone from prison that the people who spoke against her were not victims at all.
Money moves fast when someone sounds like a billionaire, so the lesson here is simple. Check who you are really dealing with before a dollar changes hands.
Made to order and shipped to your door.
