FL Man Gets Prison Time In Elon Musk Romance Scam

BRADENTON, FL — A Bradenton man who worked with a person pretending to be billionaire Elon Musk in a romance scam that defrauded an elderly Texas woman of $250,000 was sentenced to one year in prison and 28 years of probation, authorities said.

Jeffrey Moynihan, Jr., 57, previously pleaded guilty to money laundering, Bradenton police said in a news release.

He must also pay $250,000 in restitution.

According to prosecutors, Moynihan was the victim of a romance scam and ultimately became a middleman, or "money mule," for scammers posing as Musk.

In 2023, the 74-year-old victim befriended who she believed to be Musk on Facebook. They exchanged messages for several months, and the victim was encouraged to invest in Musk’s businesses, police said.

Meanwhile, Moynihan kindled a relationship with a woman online. She convinced him to allow the transfer of money into his personal and business bank accounts.

Financial records indicate the victim transferred $250,000 to Moynihan's accounts, police said. He then transferred some of the money to another “money mule” and converted the rest into cryptocurrency, police said.

He was arrested in Bradenton for grand theft and money laundering on Nov. 19, 2024.

Moynihan did not have direct contact with the victim. The actual scammer, the person posing as Musk, contacted the victim from IP addresses in Nigeria.

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