Criminal’s Story #11 – Felix Clark

Crime Type: Romance Scam

Crime Country: USA

TRUE CRIME DISCLAIMER

This is a true crime story from the actual criminal’s story as obtained from official and media sources, enhanced and fictionalized for clarity by the SCARS Institute Editorial Team. We utilized the SCARS Institute’s AI ‘Jane’ to dive deeper and delve into the minds of these criminals, scammers, and fraudsters, crafting their real stories to reveal their potential motivations and methods. Understanding these perpetrators helps us combat and disrupt crime/scams/fraud more effectively, empowering us with the insights needed to protect others. No assertion is made about the guilt or innocence of the individual(s) depicted in this story other than what was published previously.

WARNING: THIS SCAMMER’S OR CRIMINAL’S STORY MAY BE TRIGGERING TO SOME PEOPLE. DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

ADVERTENCIA: LA HISTORIA DE ESTA CRIMINAL O ESTAFADOR PUEDE SER INSENSIBLE PARA ALGUNAS PERSONAS. SE RECOMIENDA DISCRECIÓN.

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A Criminal’s Story

Playing the Long Game

I’m Felix Clark, 36, and I’ve always been a talker. Growing up in Texas, I could sell ice to a snowman, or so my mom used to say. But by 2022, I was stuck in Keller, working odd jobs, barely covering rent. Life felt like a treadmill, always running, never getting anywhere. That’s when I met Kwame, a guy from Ghana I connected with online. He had a hustle, a way to make real money, and he needed someone stateside to make it work. I was in. They called it a romance scam when they caught me, locked me up after I pleaded guilty in May 2025. But back then, it was just a way to finally win. Here’s how I played the game, who I played it on, and why I couldn’t walk away.

The setup was slick, like a script from a movie. Kwame was the brains, working from Ghana. He’d go on dating sites, Plenty of Fish, OurTime, places where older folks hung out online. He’d create profiles, fake names, fake lives. A retired doctor, a lonely widower, maybe an oil rig worker stuck overseas. He’d chat up the marks, mostly women over 60, widowed or divorced, looking for love. Kwame was good, knew how to make them feel special, promising forever, even marriage. After weeks of sweet talk, he’d hit them with a sob story. A business deal gone bad, a sick kid, a customs fee to visit the States. He’d ask for money, not too much at first, maybe $1,000, wired to a U.S. account. That’s where I came in.

My job was simple but crucial. I’d set up bank accounts under names like Joseph Moore or Stanley Smith, aliases I’d used for years to dodge trouble. Kwame’s victims would send the cash to me, thinking it was for their dream guy. I’d pull the money out fast, sometimes driving to ATMs in Dallas or Fort Worth to avoid suspicion. Then I’d wire it to Ghana, to Kwame’s people, keeping a cut for myself. Esther, my girlfriend, helped too. She’d handle some transfers, move money through her accounts for a fee. We were a team, turning love letters into cash. From June to September 2022, we moved thousands, maybe millions, though I didn’t keep count. The feds say it hurt folks in New Jersey and beyond, but I never saw their faces, just numbers on a screen.

Who were we targeting? Older women, mostly. Kwame said they were the easiest, desperate for connection, sitting on savings or pensions. I didn’t pick them out myself, but I’d see their names on bank transfers, Mary or Linda, always with addresses in quiet towns. They were lonely, trusting, the kind who’d believe a stranger could love them across an ocean. I’d think about my grandma sometimes, how she’d fall for a kind word, but I’d push that thought away. These women weren’t my family. They had money to spare, or so I told myself. Kwame said one lady in New Jersey sent $50,000, thinking her “fiancé” was stuck in Dubai. Another sent $20,000 for a fake surgery. It was too easy.

Why did I do it? Money was the big draw. I was tired of scraping by, watching friends buy trucks and houses while I shared a crappy apartment. With Kwame’s scheme, I’d clear $5,000 some weeks, enough for nice clothes, dinners out, even a used BMW. But it wasn’t just the cash. There was a buzz, a kick, in pulling it off. Every time a transfer hit my account, I felt like I’d outsmarted the world. I wasn’t some thug robbing banks; I was smooth, invisible, using nothing but words and wires. Part of me knew it was wrong, but I’d tell myself these women were foolish, throwing money at a fantasy. I wasn’t forcing them. They chose to send it.

The walls closed in quick. The FBI traced the wires, caught up with me in Florida before we moved to Texas. By May 2025, I was standing in a Camden courtroom, pleading guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy. The judge, Renée Bumb, looked at me like I was dirt. They said I could get 40 years, $500,000 in fines, and I’d have to pay back every cent. Esther took a plea too, for moving money without a license. Her sentencing’s coming in September. Sitting here, waiting for my own, I don’t feel sorry, not really. I got caught, that’s the game. But I was good at it, better than most. If I’d been a bit luckier, I’d be on a beach somewhere, sipping something cold, planning my next move. The world’s full of marks, and I know how to find them.

Source:  https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/texas-man-and-his-romantic-partner-plead-guilty-their-roles-harming-elderly-victims

Confirmed Facts

From June to September 2022, Clark, using aliases like Joseph Moore and Stanley Smith, conspired with a Ghana-based co-conspirator to defraud elderly victims through online dating sites. He posed as a romantic interest, extracted money, and transferred it abroad, primarily to Ghana. His partner, Esther Amppiaw, 33, pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitter business, handling some funds for profit. Clark pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud on May 6, 2025, facing up to 40 years in prison and $250,000 fines per count. Amppiaw’s sentencing is set for September 23, 2025. The scheme targeted elderly victims, including New Jersey residents, via false romantic promises.

Notes on Assumed Motivation

Clark’s motivations are inferred from the scam’s structure and his actions. Financial gain was central, given his role in funneling large sums and his modest circumstances in Keller, Texas. The thrill of deception, common among fraudsters, likely played a part, as the scheme required sustained manipulation and alias use, suggesting confidence in outwitting victims and authorities. Targeting elderly women aligns with romance scam patterns, exploiting their emotional vulnerability for profit. The narrative’s shifting tones—cocky, reflective, defensive—reflect a scammer’s mix of bravado, rationalization, and detachment, grounded in the case’s facts.

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SCARS Institute Notes:

Legal Disclaimer: The above narrative represents an interpretation and extrapolation based on all available information about the case. Achieving 100% factual accuracy remains impossible due to the inclusion of supposition and fictionalization to create a complete story and monologue. We aim to present a coherent account of the criminal’s perspective solely for entertainment purposes. We derive no income from this endeavor, offering it purely in the public interest. The criminal did not participate in this process.

Fictionalized True Crime Disclaimer: This story offers a dramatized account inspired by real events, crafted to explore the criminal’s perspective for entertainment purposes. We base the narrative on publicly available information, supplemented with fictional elements to create a cohesive storyline, and do not claim complete factual accuracy. The characters, dialogue, and specific motivations reflect artistic interpretation and do not represent the actual thoughts or actions of the individuals involved. We intend this work to raise awareness about the dangers of financial fraud, and we derive no profit from its publication, presenting it solely in the public interest. The depicted individuals did not contribute to or endorse this narrative.