Oklahoma woman sentenced for $1M fraud scheme against retiree

A Healdton woman who created a fake Facebook account with the name “Bradley Cooper” is headed to federal prison for swindling a retiree out of more than $1 million.

In Muskogee federal court this month, U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White sentenced Amber Nicole Pickelsimer to 41 months in prison for wire fraud.

White ordered Pickelsimer, 45, to pay the victim $1,050,000 in restitution.

“We take extortion threats very seriously and will investigate them to the fullest extent of federal law,” Sonia Garcia, acting special agent in charge of the FBI Oklahoma City field office, said in a news release. “The criminals who think they can extort innocent people should know there will be consequences. These crimes cause severe emotional distress to the victims and will not be tolerated.”

Pickelsimer pleaded guilty to the crime.

In her plea agreement, Pickelsimer admitted to defrauding the victim of their retirement savings through a blackmail scheme over a 19-month period starting in February 2019.

The victim was an acquaintance. Pickelsimer, under fake names, claimed to have damaging material about a relative of the victim and threatened to release the information unless the victim delivered money to a drop site.

On Feb. 6, 2019, Pickelsimer sent a message from a social media account created in the name of “Bradley Cooper.”

In the message, she demanded that $10,000 be paid to “Bradley Cooper.”

Pickelsimer created other fake social media accounts, including one under the name “Kylie Price,” and continued to convince her victim to drop off money.

Pickelsimer will self-report on June 13 to a designated U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-parolable sentence.