9 Years For Fake Surgeon Who Used 13 Aliases In $1.3M Romance Scheme

A man who siphoned about $1.3 million from more than 30 women through his online romance scheme that spanned different states, including Georgia and Florida, has been sentenced to nine years in prison, authorities said Thursday. He posed as a surgeon and used 13 aliases in the scam that resulted in 25 counts of fraud-related charges.

In a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Florida, Atty. Jason R. Coody said Brian Brainard Wedgeworth will serve nine years in federal prison after his guilty plea in May.

Court documents revealed that Wedgeworth, who also goes by the names Dr. Brian Anderson, Dr. Edward Chen, Dr. Brian Lamar Wilson, and at least nine other aliases, "devised a scheme to defraud women located across the country who he met through online dating forums by falsely representing that he was a physician in order to fraudulently obtain money and property from them." The scheme operated between October 2016 and March 2021, authorities said.

As part of his online romance scheme, Wedgeworth induced the women to send him money "and buy him jewelry and watches," court documents showed.

In total, Wedgeworth siphoned over $1.3 million from over 30 women across the country. The 47-year-old former resident of Tallahassee, Florida, and Center Point, Alabama pleaded guilty to 25 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering earlier this year.

Dubbed as the "Casanova Scammer," Wedgeworth was found to have created counterfeit documents in his romance scheme, CBS affiliate local WJAX-TV reported. Wedgeworth's fake documents included a certificate of completing a biology degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a California I.D. card, and a transcript from the Harvard School of Medicine – all of which have been confiscated by the authorities.

After his release, Wedgeworth will be under supervised release for three years. He has also been ordered to pay $1,161,325.82 in restitution.

In the 200-page sentencing memorandum, it was revealed that the women Wedgeworth scammed were "generally educated, ambitious, and successful in their respective careers."

The memorandum also presented photos Wedgeworth used in his dating and social media profiles. One photo showed Wedgeworth posing with a stethoscope hanging around his neck. Another photo showed a screenshot of Wedgeworth's LinkedIn profile wherein he posed as a "Thoracic Surgeon at Houston Cardiovascular Associates."

"Our citizens should not be preyed upon by fraudsters who steal through overtures of affection," Atty. Coody said during Wedgeworth's sentencing. Coody added that Wedgeworth's sentencing "should serve as a significant deterrent" to criminals thinking of establishing similar schemes.