Tacoma woman pleads guilty defrauding $600,000 from friends

A 40-year-old woman pleaded guilty to committing a series of schemes to defraud friends and acquaintances of more than $600,000 over nearly 10 years.

In her plea, Sabrina Taylor admitted to lying about her health, employment, and education to steal money from those offering help. She convinced people to provide her money by claiming she needed it for multiple illnesses including multiple sclerosis, needed tuition for the University of Washington, or needed money to bail her brother out of jail.

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Hospital records have no indication of Taylor being diagnosed with MS. She was not paying tuition, according to the UW registrar’s office. She did not have a brother who went to jail.

Instead, prosecuting attorney Nick Brown said she used the money for personal use including spending $60,000 on trips to Japan, $38,000 on online purchases, and $16,000 on makeup.

“Taylor met some of the people she defrauded online, using shared interests such as Japanese anime, comic books, or video games to establish a relationship. Taylor admitted to stealing over $550,000 from one victim,” the press release from the U.S. Justice department reads.

She is set to be sentenced October 7, where she is facing a maximum of 20 years for wire fraud. As a part of her plea deal, prosecutors are asking for no more than 27 months.

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