New Boston woman charged in scheme purporting to boost child's modeling career

A Michigan woman is facing federal charges for her role in a $4.6 million fraud scheme that purported to help launch a child's modeling career, but the money was instead directed to gambling expenses. 

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, supported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement Thursday. 

Chanise Coyne, 46, of New Boston, has been indicted on seven counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering in the case, the district attorney's office said. 

According to the indictment, Coyne obtained over $4.6 million from a family by claiming the money would be used for advance fees related to their young daughter participating in modeling events across the country. The indictment alleges that false and fraudulent records were provided as part of the scheme, and that none of the money was used for the intended purpose. 

Instead, Coyne is accused of using the proceeds for what federal authorities called "significant gambling expenditures," including multiple incidents of alleged money laundering involving an online sports gambling platform. 

"This defendant allegedly took advantage of a family's love for their daughter, stole their nest egg, and then gambled it away," U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said about the case. 

"Those who think they can scam Michigan families out of their hard-earned money need to think again. The FBI will identify you, investigate you, and arrest you," said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.