HOUSTON — FBI Houston is looking for a woman who is accused of targeting senior citizens and committing wire fraud.
According to the FBI, 56-year-old Regina Lynn Thomas is known to misrepresent herself as a registered nurse at local senior care centers. She reportedly has ties to the Pearland and Sugar Land areas, as well as the Houston metro area.
"Our most vulnerable, our seniors who have worked their entire lives to have a good retirement, we’re seeing their retirements vanish in an instant by these fraudsters," said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Heith Janke.
Janke told KHOU 11 that Thomas used various schemes to get money from her victims and used aliases, including the name Nikki Laday.
A federal indictment was filed for Thomas on January 12. She faces more than 65 charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the FBI.
The indictment details how Thomas allegedly defrauded an entire family after their home was damaged in Hurricane Harvey.
Thomas met the family in 2017 when they were staying at a hotel after the hurricane, the indictment states. She offered to help their sick mother; the family later let her stay at their renovated home when they traveled outside the U.S.
While they were away, Thomas allegedly told the family that an arrest warrant came for one of them related to fraudulent FEMA claim.
According to the indictment, Thomas recommended an attorney to the family that was allegedly her son aiding in the scheme. From 2017 to 2019, the family sent Thomas wire transfers totaling $1,040,765 for the fake legal help.
"We want to warn our elderly community to not fall victim but we [also] want to get these scammers that are targeting them, and remove them from the ability to steal anymore of those life savings from the elderly community," Janke said.
Thomas's son was listed in the same indictment as his mother. He was arrested but has since bonded out.
The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Thomas' location and arrest. Anyone with information, is asked to contact the FBI Houston field office at 713-693-5000.