Page 22 - March 2021 TTI

Romance Scam

by Edmond J. Martin, Sage Investigations

A doctor and his wife contacted Sage Investigations (Sage) because they A day later they gathered outside
were concerned about their daughter, a large-animal veterinarian, who lived the ranch were the couple, mother
on a small ranch outside of San Antonio in Comal County. She met a man of the young man and her friend,
on Match.com and he had been living with her for the past three months. the Constable, a Sheriff’s Deputy,
He told everyone that he was a retired Navy Seal (Seal) suffering from and a Sage investigator. The plan
radiation poisoning due to handling nuclear material while in the Navy. was to follow the couple onto the
The doctor and his wife (couple) had grown concerned about the property and confront Mr. Smith.
truthfulness of his claims. Upon entering the driveway, they
encountered the daughter as she
During the spring, the Seal had his son visit; however, his son had a was on her way out of the ranch.
different last name and was from Abilene, TX. The couple requested for She greeted her parents at the gate
Sage to initiate an investigation into the Seal and possibly conduct an and advised everyone that she was
intervention with their daughter. on her way to the Sheriff’s Office
because Mr. Smith had stolen
Sage was unable to find anyone in the United States with the name the Seal money from her bank account
was using. They contacted an individual with the Abilene School District using her ATM card. She gave him
who refused to provide any information about the Seal’s son; although, the the card to go to the grocery store
individual was glad to know where the young man was because he had been to buy food, but he went to the
absent from school. The investigator asked the District employee to ask the bank and made a large withdrawal
young man’s mother to contact him. instead. A bank representative
called her to confirm the
Sage contacted the Comal County Sheriff’s Office who advised that they withdrawal because it was an
could not assist with the case, but they were able to direct investigators to unusual amount.
the District Attorney (DA) and Constable. The DA advised that the Seal
was awaiting indictment for stealing $20,000 from a woman he lived with The daughter and all those present
in the past. proceeded up the driveway to her
house to find Mr. Smith sitting on
Sage received a telephone call from the Abilene mother of the young man. a swing, looking sickly. The
She advised that she knew her son was living with his father and that the Constable, Sheriff Deputy, and the
Seal’s true name was John Smith. She also confirmed that he was not a Sage investigator approached the
former Navy Seal. swing. The Sage investigator called
the Seal by his real name, and he
The couple and the mother agreed to a meeting in Comal County with a sat straight up. He observed his
Sage investigator, the couple and the Constable. They gathered to discuss former wife with their son and
the matter, concerns of all parties involved, and to devise a plan. The realized that he was caught. The
Constable agreed that the daughter could ask Mr. Smith to leave Sage investigator told Mr. Smith
immediately, despite current eviction statutes. that the daughter wanted him to
get his things and leave the

20 | MARCH 2021 THE TEXAS INVESTIGATOR