'Romance scam on steroids': Woman drugged, robbed victims; 3 died, FBI says

Akiya Dillon, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Feb 21, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas woman with dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship ran a “romance scam on steroids” that caused the deaths of three people, FBI special agent in charge Spencer Evans said during a news conference where, with the Nevada U.S. attorney’s office, he announced the unsealing of a 21-count superseding indictment against her.

“Today, we are here to enlist the public’s help to identify potential victims of what we believe to be a sinister and far-reaching romance scam that ensnared multiple victims across the United States and Mexico and which resulted in the deaths of at least three U.S. citizens,” Evans said during the conference.

The Las Vegas FBI and the Nevada U.S. attorney’s offices said that federal charges — seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, six counts of bank fraud, three counts of identity theft, and two counts of kidnapping — were brought against Aurora Phelps, 43, after she allegedly preyed upon elderly men and women, most in their 60s and 70s, for more than three years.

Phelps owned residences in Las Vegas and Guadalajara, Mexico, and went by several aliases, including “Aurora Flores,” “Aurora Flores-Velasco,” and “Aurora-Alverez,” according to the indictment. Phelps is currently incarcerated in Mexico, and multiple law enforcement agencies are working with Mexican authorities to have her extradited, Evans said during the news briefing.

“We believe Phelps connected with each of them through an online dating application, so she could lure them into her confidence under false pretenses and then drug them with dangerous doses of prescription sedatives or other controlled substances,” Evans said. “Once she incapacitated her victims, Phelps stole their cars, accessed their bank and brokerage accounts to withdraw cash, and used their credit cards to make a variety of purchases — including luxury retail goods and gold.”

Three of the four victims in the indictment were found dead shortly after their encounters with Phelps, Evans said. One died in Southern Nevada, according to a graphic of a timeline presented by Evans, and two more were found dead in Mexico.

However, one man from the United States was drugged so severely that Phelps was able to kidnap him, put him in a wheelchair, and take him to a hotel across the Mexico border, Evans said.

The victim who survived lived in Henderson and spent five days in a coma after Phelps allegedly drugged him. Phelps allegedly liquidated $3.3 million of the man’s Apple stock and attempted to transfer the proceeds to a bank account that she controlled.

Evans added that seven more victims not included in the indictment had since been identified. He said that he still believes there are more.

The FBI, in an earlier news release, called the scheme “one of the most egregious and reprehensible” in recent history. Phelps faces a maximum life sentence in prison if convicted on all counts, said Sue Fahami, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.

When asked if Phelps had help coordinating the scams, Evans said the office was unsure of any accomplices at this time, adding that the investigation into the woman was still “active and ongoing.”

The FBI held the conference to “draw awareness” and “identify other potential victims who may have interacted with or been taken advantage of” by Phelps, Evans said. He encouraged anyone with information about Phelps — whether through direct contact or someone else who had been victimized — to call the FBI or submit a tip online.

___