Atlantic County Man Sentenced For Defrauding Women Out Of $40K Via Dating Service

An Atlantic County man who was sentenced in 2007 in connection with a scheme to defraud women over telephone dating services and in 2015 for violating the conditions of his federal supervised release has been sentenced for a third time, according to authorities.

Patrick Giblin, 53, formerly of Ventnor, has been sentenced to five years in prison for traveling to launder money in connection with a similar scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced on Wednesday. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, and must pay $39,130 in restitution.

He previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of interstate travel and use of a facility in interstate and foreign commerce with the intent to launder money.

He admitted to posting advertisements and messages on telephone dating services throughout the United States between January of 2013 and December 16, 2014, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court. He lied to women he met using these services, saying he would be relocating or travelling to her area, and that he would like to pursue a romantic relationship.

He told each woman had lied to that in order to do so, he would need a loan. He admitted that he never intended to repay the woman, according to authorities. Giblin received money from the women he spoke to on the dating services via interstate wire services such as Western Union and MoneyGram.

He also told them to transfer money through one of these services onto a payroll/debit card that he used. He used some of this money to purchase airtime minutes for cellular telephones, which he in turn used to defraud additional women, authorities said.

Giblin was on federal supervised release from a previous conviction when he traveled from Atlantic County, New Jersey, to Albany County, New York, in October of 2014, according to authorities. He continued his scheme while he was in New York. In all, he admitted to defrauding more than 10 women in various states out of $15,000 to $40,000.

Giblin was previously convicted of 10 counts of wire fraud in 2007 in connection with a similar scheme. In 2015, he was imprisoned for violating the terms of his supervised release imposed in connection with the 2007 sentence. Giblin was also sentenced in 2013 in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for escaping from a halfway house in Philadelphia, where he was living following the completion of the 2007 sentence.

Authorities say he initiated the scheme in this current case at about the time that he escaped from the halfway house and resumed the scheme following the service of his sentence on the escape conviction.

Patch file photo