Overview
- Chanise Coyne pleaded guilty to wire fraud after admitting she obtained more than $4.6 million by falsely claiming the funds would pay advance fees for a child’s national modeling events.
- Coyne, which pleaded guilty Tuesday, admitted she created fake texts, emails and invoices to convince a local family to send repeated transfers ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Federal filings say the money was spent for Coyne’s benefit rather than the child’s career, with prosecutors alleging large gambling losses and money‑laundering transactions tied to an online sports betting platform.
- She was indicted on seven wire fraud counts and five money‑laundering counts, faces up to 20 years in prison, and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 1, 2026.
- The FBI Detroit Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office led the case, which includes related forfeiture actions as prosecutors seek to recover proceeds and provide context for how advance‑fee scams target trusting families.