A 43-year-old Las Vegas woman has been arrested in Mexico for allegedly orchestrating a sophisticated romance scheme that led to at least three deaths and the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars from elderly victims, federal authorities announced Friday.
Aurora Phelps faces multiple charges, including kidnapping resulting in death, after allegedly using dating websites to target men in their 60s and 70s. According to the FBI, Phelps would drug her victims and steal their financial information and belongings in what agents described as a “romance scam on steroids.”
In one particularly brazen incident detailed in the 21-count federal indictment, Phelps allegedly drugged a man during lunch in Las Vegas, then wheeled him across the U.S.-Mexico border while he was “zonked out of his mind.” The victim later died in a Mexico City hotel room that Phelps had rented using his credit card. Court documents indicate she brought her daughter along on this fatal expedition.
The scheme, which operated from at least July 2021 to December 2022, involved elaborate financial fraud. In one case, Phelps allegedly sold $3.3 million in Apple stock belonging to a victim and attempted to steal an additional $3 million from his E-Trade account. Another victim was found dead in Guadalajara, after which Phelps reportedly used his bank account to purchase gold coins.
“But for meeting with Phelps, all of these folks would be alive,” said Spencer L. Evans, the FBI’s top agent in Las Vegas. Only one known victim survived the scheme, emerging from a five-day coma after being heavily drugged.
Phelps, a dual U.S.-Mexican citizen who has lived in Nevada, Arkansas, and Guadalajara, remains in Mexican custody pending extradition. She faces life imprisonment if convicted. The FBI believes there may be more victims and has urged anyone with information about missing relatives who may have encountered Phelps to come forward.
The charges against Phelps include kidnapping, wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, and identity theft. The investigation, which began with a missing person report, remains ongoing as authorities continue to gather evidence and identify potential additional victims.