Portland Woman Sent $1.9 Million to a Man She Never Met Because He Promised to Marry Her

For two years, a Portland woman sent nearly $1.9 million to a man she met online on Millionaire Match Maker, believing he would marry her.

The man, Oscar Peters (65) from Britain, was yesterday sentenced to 37 months in prison after his extradition from England, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s District Office in Oregon. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release.

He Convinced His Victim That he was a Millionaire Living in Denmark

Peters was ordered to pay restitution to his victim amounting to $1,892,439 which she had sent him for a variety of reasons after he convinced her of his marriage intentions, telling her he was a millionaire living in Denmark.

Peters, who met his victim through the online dating website, phoned her and sent romantic emails every day, ingratiating himself with promises of marriage.

He told the woman that he was seeking a long-term relationship and relayed elaborate untruths about his need for financial help, according to court records.

Peters was charged with wire fraud in a seven-count indictment by a Portland federal grand jury on 4 June 2019. He was arrested in the U.K. on 9 April 2020 and remained in custody until his extradition to the U.S. on 23 October 2023. He pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud on 26 March 2023.

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Meredith Bateman, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.