80-year-old California woman gets prison time for scam that targeted New Mexicans

An 80-year-old woman has been sentenced to prison for running a 22-year scam that bilked her victims — many of them New Mexicans — out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The “advance fee fraud” was, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico, “a scam and a timeworn one at that.” Such a fraud involves someone being asked to pay upfront for a later financial gain or service that never materializes.

Lanette Bashore, a California resident, was sentenced in early December to 30 months for operating the scheme that bilked 20 to 30 victims. She pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution.

Bashore’s fraud was based on the claim that she had a multimillion-dollar fortune that was tied up by taxes, legal holds and other complications. She told her victims that if they gave her an upfront fee to help release the funds, she would pay them back with large amounts of interest.

Bashore told one victim her fortune was worth $300 million. She asked many of those she hit up for $5,000 and promised a repayment amount of $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

It turns out there was no fortune, and there were no repayments. But “many of Bashore’s victims did not sit on their hands,” and frequently questioned her about the delays, according to the office.

She told them that attorneys were working on it. Or that a judge had to sign off on certain documents first. Or that checks had to be rewritten, delaying the process. “These lies continued for some time — there was always some reason Bashore could not pay her victims back,” according to a sentencing memorandum filed in federal court by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

When the FBI began investigating in 2023, Bashore denied she was running a scam and said she considered the money collected to be “loans.” In fact, the money was used to “pay for her lifestyle and to gamble,” the document says.

It says that Bashore’s scheme “has deeply impacted her victims. Almost all of them have lost thousands of dollars and many of them have lost tens of thousands.” Two ended up selling their home and adjacent property and moved into a smaller home because of the fraud.

While noting that Bashore is elderly and that “recidivism typically decreases with age,” the document says Bashore “knows how to gain people’s trust and exploit it” and noted that she was imprisoned for 15 months in 1995 in California for making false promises and pocketing investor money in a different scheme.

Justin A. Garris, special agent in charge of the FBI in Albuquerque, said, “Advance fee scams thrive on urgency and misplaced trust. While trust is important, it can never replace due diligence.”

"If you're being asked to pay upfront for a promise of a guaranteed future gain; pause, verify and confirm before taking action,” he said in a written statement.

The FBI recommends researching the person you’re giving money to, and talking to family members, friends or financial professionals about it. If you’re asked to keep the investment opportunity a secret, be wary.

Also beware of deals that sound too good to be true, especially those offering a “guaranteed” return.

“Financial fraudsters are savvy salesmen and expert manipulators,” according to the FBI. “They have an answer for everything. Verify their pronouncements through independent sources.”

With updated phone number – July 2024Contact Ellen Marks at emarks@abqjournal.com if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division at 505-490-4060. Complaints can be filed electronically at nmag.gov/contact-us/file-a-complaint/