Man Accused of $300K Romance Scam, Previously Convicted for Similar Crimes

Romance Scam Allegations

• 💔 A woman met her boyfriend on the dating site Bumble, and what began as an online romance ended in alleged betrayal.
• 💸 She claims she was conned out of nearly $300,000, with prosecutors stating the relationship was built on lies.

Financial Deception and Property Fraud

• 🏠 Prosecutors allege the defendant convinced his girlfriend to buy a house together, but instead planned to steal the funds.
• 💰 The victim reportedly gave him $272,000, including a $78,000 cashier's check and wire transfers totaling $103,000, believing it was for a joint future.
• 🤥 The victim discovered the defendant had lied about his name, his Stanford graduation, and even about bidding on the Brooklyn property.

Repeat Offender Status

• ⚖️ The accused, Brandon Keem, 45, was previously prosecuted and convicted for a romance scam in 2016.
• 🚨 In that prior case, he stole $26,000 from two women and $13,000 from his dog walker, leading to a prison sentence.
• ⚠️ Prosecutors find it profoundly disturbing that he is allegedly committing similar crimes again after serving time.

Legal Proceedings

• 📈 Due to the theft exceeding $50,000, Keem has been indicted for second-degree grand larceny.
• 🚶 He was arraigned and released unsupervised in Lower Manhattan.