A California man with 10 prior felony convictions has pleaded guilty after admitting that he took more than $1.8 million from two elderly women while cultivating what appeared to be romantic relationships with them.
Troy Clinton Van Sickle, 55, of Temecula, concealed convictions for fraud, theft, extortion and perjury while presenting himself as a trustworthy and successful businessman, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Van Sickle admitted in his plea agreement that the women sent him more than 30 transfers between 2022 and 2024. He used their money for luxury vehicles, casino gambling, personal expenses and payments to other women rather than for the purposes he had represented to them.
Van Sickle pleaded guilty Oct. 6 to wire fraud, money laundering and making a false statement. Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Ruth Bermudez Montenegro is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2027.
A Fake Lotus Contract Led to a $150,000 Wire
One of the women was a wealthy divorced resident of Los Angeles. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Van Sickle admitted in his plea agreement that he cultivated an apparent romantic relationship with her before claiming that financial difficulties had left him needing money for business deals and investment opportunities. He promised to repay her and share profits from the ventures.
Prosecutors said Van Sickle created a purported miniature replica car company and provided the woman with a fake multimillion-dollar contract between his business and Lotus Cars to make the company appear legitimate. She showed the document to her financial adviser before wiring Van Sickle $150,000 to fund the supposed deal.
Van Sickle admitted the business opportunity was false. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said he used the $150,000 wire to make a payment on a 2022 Ferrari SF90 Stradale that he had purchased the previous month for $734,000.
More Than 30 Transfers From Two Women Totaled Over $1.8 Million
Van Sickle also admitted targeting a woman in San Diego through a similar supposed romantic relationship. Prosecutors said he gained access to her finances and obtained money that he spent on luxury vehicles, casino gambling, other personal expenses and payments to other women instead of the purposes he had described.
Between 2022 and 2024, the two women made more than 30 transfers to Van Sickle totaling more than $1.8 million. The Justice Department said none of that money had been repaid when his guilty plea was announced.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office also said Van Sickle admitted knowing the women were vulnerable because of their age, health and trusting nature.
He Tried to Recast the Transfers as a 10-Year Loan After the FBI Called
Van Sickle was already under federal supervision from an earlier fraud conviction while the new scheme was taking place. That case required him to pay $250,000 in restitution to nine victims and accurately disclose his financial resources to his probation officer.
Prosecutors said he instead submitted a financial packet signed under penalty of perjury that omitted money he was receiving from the Los Angeles victim, luxury vehicles he had purchased and sold, and his gambling winnings and losses.
After learning that the FBI had contacted the Los Angeles woman, Van Sickle admitted persuading her to delete text messages, provide false information to investigators and sign a fraudulent promissory note portraying the transfers as a lump-sum loan repayable over 10 years. He also had her sign a statement claiming he had already repaid $140,000, then provided those documents to his probation officer and repeated the repayment claim.
An Earlier Fraud Case Also Involved Winning a Victim’s Trust Through Romance
Van Sickle’s federal supervision stemmed from an earlier mail-fraud prosecution in Washington. In 2019, he pleaded guilty to operating a fraudulent asset-recovery business that targeted people who had already lost money in investments.
Federal prosecutors in that case said Van Sickle falsely claimed he could recover investors’ losses and used several promises to gain their confidence, including entering into a romantic relationship with one investor. He later sought a $75,000 loan that he claimed would be used to recover lost investment money and repaid within 30 days.
Prosecutors said he instead intended to use the money for personal purposes. Van Sickle was later sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, and the case carried a total restitution obligation of $250,000.
Van Sickle Pleaded Guilty to Three Federal Charges
The current prosecution is United States v. Troy Clinton Van Sickle, case 26-cr-1774-RBM in the Southern District of California. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced his guilty pleas to wire fraud, money laundering and making a false statement.
Federal prosecutors said wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, money laundering carries up to 10 years and making a false statement carries up to five years. Those are statutory maximums, not the sentence Van Sickle will necessarily receive.
His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2027, before Judge Montenegro. Van Sickle is also scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael S. Berg on Oct. 20 for a preliminary revocation proceeding involving his supervised release.
The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Swan is prosecuting it.