Atlantic City, NJ man admits to escaping federal custody and defrauding several women

An Atlantic City man who escaped federal custody in 2020 while serving a sentence for wire fraud went out and committed a romantic type of fraud by telling women he wanted to be a in relationship with them but after taking their money -- he bailed.

His crime on the outside lasted nearly a year before he was arrested by U.S. Marshals on March 10, 2021.

However, 57-year-old Patrick Giblin continued what he started on the inside back in April of 2019 and whether in or out, he posted ads and messages on telephone dating services, built up a conversation with women, told them he would relocate to be with them, and that he wanted to be in a romantic relationship with each of them, according to U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger.

In return, Giblin was paid by each woman via interstate wire services including Western Union and MoneyGram.

For his romance phone scam and escaping federal custody Giblin pleaded guilty in Camden federal court to one count of escape from the custody of the Attorney General and one count of wire fraud.

Giblin had escaped from the custody of the Attorney General while traveling from a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania on July 23, 2020 en route to a residential living facility in Newark, where he was going to serve the rest of a federal prison sentence which was imposed in 2017 for traveling interstate and using an interstate facility to promote unlawful activity in connection with a scheme to defraud multiple women which occurred ten years after a sentence of 115 months for a 2007 wire fraud conviction for a similar fraud scheme.

Attorney Sellinger said that "the charge of escape carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.

The charge of wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 16, 2022."

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Camden.

Defense counsel: Lori Koch Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Camden.