Man Victimized In Online Romance Stole $1.4M From Employer

PITTSBURGH (AP) – A man federal prosecutors say was the victim of an online romance scam has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1.4 million from two Pittsburgh-area companies whose funds he controlled.

Fifty-nine-year-old Jeffery Plimpton acknowledged using some money to pay his mortgage and credit card bills, but most was sent overseas to someone in Malaysia.

Prosecutors say Plimpton stole the money from Alpha Aromatics, a fragrance company, and a subsidiary, Pestco Professional Services, a pest control firm. That happened from April 2014 until the thefts were discovered in an internal accounting review in December.

Plimpton, who now lives in Mississippi, believed the overseas money was to be invested by a woman he met online. But Plimpton’s attorney says he was scammed by someone pretending to be a woman.

He’ll be sentenced Dec. 15.