Criminal’s Story #13 – John Trabert

Crime Type: Money Laundering/Money Mule

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

Trapped in the Hustle

I’m John Trabert, 55, just a regular guy from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where the steel mills are long gone and jobs are scarce. Life’s been a grind, always one paycheck away from disaster. By 2020, I was out of work, the bills stacking up like a bad poker hand. That’s when I stumbled into something I thought was a lifeline, a way to keep my head above water. They called me a money mule, said I helped scam folks out of their savings. Sentenced me to 15 months in prison in June 2025, like I was some big-time crook. But it didn’t start that way. Let me walk you through how I got caught up, who I was moving money for, and why I couldn’t stop, even after the FBI came knocking.

It all kicked off with an email, out of the blue, in early 2020. Some guy named Victor, claiming he was a Nigerian businessman, said he needed help moving funds for a real estate deal. I’d been on job boards, desperate for anything, and his message promised easy cash, no heavy lifting. Just open a bank account, receive some transfers, and send the money where he told me, keeping a cut for myself. Sounded like a gig, not a crime. I was broke, my wife was stressed, and the fridge was empty. So I said yes, opened an account at a local bank, gave Victor the details. First transfer hit, $10,000, like magic. I wired most of it to an account in Nigeria, kept $500 as my fee. Felt like I’d won the lottery.

The scam was smooth, too smooth. Victor had it all figured out. He’d charm people, mostly older folks, on dating sites or through fake investment pitches. Romance scams were his specialty, spinning tales of love to lonely widows, promising marriage or a new life. Others thought they were buying gold or flipping houses. They’d send their savings to my account, thinking it was for their dream lover or a surefire deal. I’d get a text from Victor, move the money fast, sometimes to another U.S. account, sometimes overseas. Cashier’s checks, wire transfers, even Bitcoin ATMs. From January 2020 to March 2022, I moved thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, always taking my piece. I didn’t know the victims’ names, didn’t want to. They were just numbers, deposits hitting my account, keeping my lights on.

Who was I targeting? I wasn’t, not really. Victor picked the marks, elderly folks mostly, people with pensions or nest eggs. The FBI later said they were vulnerable, easy to trick because they trusted too much. I’d see names on bank forms, Margaret or Harold, addresses in small towns like mine. I didn’t think about them losing their homes, their security. I was too busy paying my own bills, buying groceries, fixing the car. Victor said they could afford it, and I believed him, or at least I wanted to. They weren’t my neighbors, my family. They were strangers, and I was just the middleman.

Then the FBI showed up, summer of 2021, two agents in suits at my door. My heart sank to my boots. They knew everything, the accounts, the transfers, Victor’s scam. Said I was laundering money, helping steal from old people. They told me to stop, cut ties with Victor, or I’d face charges. I nodded, promised I’d quit. But Victor called the next day, his voice smooth as silk, saying the feds were bluffing, that he’d protect me. He sent $1,000, called it a bonus. I needed that money, bad. My wife was sick, the medical bills piling up. I told myself one more transfer, then I’d stop. But one became ten, then twenty. I was hooked, not just on the cash but on the hope it’d all work out.

Why did I keep going? At first, I was fooled, thought Victor was legit, a friend helping me out. After the FBI warning, it was different. I knew it was wrong, but I was scared, trapped. If I stopped, the money stopped, and we’d lose everything. There was a rush, too, in being part of something bigger, like I was outsmarting the system. I’d check my account, see a new deposit, and feel alive, important. Deep down, I felt the guilt, picturing some grandma crying over her empty bank account. But I pushed it away, told myself I wasn’t the one lying to them, just moving the money. Victor was the bad guy, not me.

It all crashed down in 2023. The Secret Service tracked the transfers, arrested me, and by September 2024, I was pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in front of Judge Stephanie Haines. She gave me 15 months, three years supervised release, said I’d hurt people who couldn’t afford it. Sitting in this cell, I see it now. I was played, a pawn in Victor’s game, too desperate to say no. I didn’t mean to ruin lives, but I did. If I could go back, I’d tell that FBI agent everything, walk away. But back then, I was drowning, and Victor’s money was the only rope I could grab.

Source:  https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/johnstown-man-sentenced-role-series-international-fraud-scams

Confirmed Facts

From January 2020 to March 2022, John M. Trabert, 55, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, acted as a money mule in romance, real estate, and gold scams, receiving and moving funds from victims to co-conspirators, primarily in Nigeria. Trabert conspired with an overseas co-conspirator who directed victims, believing they were investing in real estate, gold, or supporting a fictional love interest, to send funds to Trabert’s bank accounts. He retained a portion of each transaction as personal profit. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering on September 12, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines. On June 3, 2025, Judge Haines sentenced him to 15 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release. The U.S. Secret Service led the investigation.

Notes on Assumed Motivation

Trabert’s motivations are inferred from his role as a money mule and the socio-economic context of Johnstown, a struggling post-industrial town. Initially, he was likely a victim of a job or romance scam, common entry points for money mules, lured by promises of easy money during financial hardship. His continuation after FBI warnings suggests desperation, driven by mounting debts or personal crises, common in areas with high unemployment like Johnstown. The small profits he kept provided temporary relief, reinforcing his participation. Psychological factors, such as the thrill of illicit activity or denial of harm (rationalizing that he wasn’t directly deceiving victims), likely played a role. His guilty plea and lack of prior criminal history (per available records) suggest regret, supporting the narrative of an unwitting participant who became complicit under pressure.

Copyright © 2025 SCARS Institute

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.