US romance scammer who claimed to be Navy Seal fleeced victims of up to US$1.5mil

Campbell pleaded guilty on Oct 17 to one count each of wire fraud and money laundering in a romance scam that ran from April 2014 to April 2020, according to the US attorney’s office for the Central District of California. — Pexels

The Irvine man’s claims were numerous: He was a Navy Seal, owned McDonald’s franchises, ran a chain of gyms, and was a successful businessman and investor, he said.

Ze’Shawn Stanley Campbell’s stories were bound by one common thread: He needed money from those who heard them.