A 55-year-old Temecula man appeared in federal court on allegations of taking more than $1.5 million from an elderly woman in the guise of a love relationship.
Troy Clinton Van Sickle, a 10-time convicted felon and janitor at a San Diego County preschool, is accused of targeting a wealthy divorced woman and concealing his criminal history to acquire access to her funds, according to court records. Prosecutors said Van Sickle presented himself as a trustworthy businessman, persuading the woman to support his alleged business projects with promises of payback and profit sharing.
Instead, Van Sickle allegedly utilized the monies for personal needs, such as expensive cars and gambling, and set up a bogus company to further deceive the victim. According to the source, he used the money to buy a 2022 Ferrari SF90 Stradale.
Van Sickle was under federal supervision at the time of the incident due to a previous fraud conviction and was obligated to appropriately declare his financial resources. To avoid paying restitution, he allegedly filed fake financial documents to his probation officer, omitting the victim’s money and other assets.
After learning of an FBI inquiry, Van Sickle is accused of coercing the victim into deleting evidence and signing fake paperwork in order to conceal the monies as loans. Between 2022 and 2023, he received about 20 money transactions from the woman totaling more than $1.5 million, none of which were repaid, according to the accusation.
Assistant US Attorneys Patrick C. Swan and Sarah M. Fix are prosecuting the case. The investigation is being led by the FBI and the IRS Criminal Investigation. Anyone who may have been cheated by Van Sickle should contact the FBI at (858) 320-1800.
Van Sickle is charged with wire fraud, money laundering, false writing or document, falsification of record in a federal inquiry, and making a false statement, all of which carry possible penalties of up to 30 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
Leave a Reply