Michigan photographer gets five years for $4.6M child-modeling fraud and lavish spending
Photographer Chanise Coyne was sentenced to five years in federal prison for a $4.6 million wire-fraud scheme that pretended to fund a child’s modeling career, while she spent the money on gambling and $200,000 of Taylor Swift tickets.
A federal court sentenced photographer Chanise Coyne, 46, to five years behind bars for orchestrating a multi-million-dollar fraud that exploited a Michigan family’s hopes for their daughter’s modeling career. Coyne admitted in May to wire-fraud charges after receiving over $4.6 million in supposed advance fees, which she supported with fabricated texts, emails and invoices. Rather than fund modeling events, she diverted the money to personal gambling habits and spent more than $200,000 on Taylor Swift concert tickets in Florida.
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon described the scheme as a calculated abuse of a child’s aspirations, ordering full restitution and three years of supervised release after imprisonment. FBI Detroit Special Agent Jennifer Runyan emphasized that such deception will be met with severe penalties and that the bureau will keep pursuing similar fraudsters. Earlier incidents included a canceled Kris Kringle photoshoot in 2024, where Coyne claimed a monkeypox infection, prompting a local news investigation.
Why it matters
The case shows how vulnerable families can be exploited by fraudsters posing as legitimate service providers.
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