It always comes as a surprise to me that people fall for obvious scams, but there never seems to be a shortage of stories. One of the more notorious New Jersey scammers was back in the news this week when he was recaptured.
According to prosecutors, Patrick Giblin escaped custody in July of 2020 while being transferred from a facility in Lewisburg, PA to a halfway house in Newark. Giblin had already served six years for a 2007 wire-fraud scheme when he was sentenced in 2017 to five more years after admitting he duped several women in an online dating scam. As pointed out by the Daily Voice, Giblin was just a little more than a year away from freedom.
According to the Associated Press, Giblin posted ads on telephone dating services throughout the country from January 2013 to December 2014 and would lure women all over the country into relationships. He would then ask for loans he had no intention of repaying. He would lie and tell the women he needed money to move closer so they would wire him the money or buy gift cards; prosecutors say he used some of the cards to buy more cellphone minutes to scam other women. Authorities say he scammed more than ten women across the country.
Giblin was recaptured last week in Atlantic City and is being held at a secure facility. The 56 year old made a preliminary court appearance via videoconference in Camden. He faces more prison time if he is convicted of escaping federal custody.
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.
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