Woman Mulcted in $272,000 Romance Scam by Dating App Man

“Romance without finance is a nuisance”—it was true when Tiny Grimes sang it back in 1944 with a band with Charlie Parker on alto saxophone, and remains true today.

Thus the recent announcement from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. about the indictment of Brandon Dae Kiehm, 45, for allegedly stealing approximately $272,000 from a 44-year-old woman in a “romance scam.” She thought the money was being used to purchase a home together. She was mistaken—and she was mulcted. Though the term “mulcted” is rarely used in contemporary journalism, it was once common, and if any recent crime deserved that term for defrauding, this is it.

Legally speaking, Kiehm is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree.

“A woman thought she was buying a home with her boyfriend, when, allegedly, he stole approximately $272,000 of her hard-earned money. We allege that Brandon Kiehm crafted a relationship on a web of lies, preying on his girlfriend’s trust again and again,” said DA Bragg. “Romance scams are all too common, and our office is here to prosecute egregious conduct like this.”

As alleged in court documents and statements made on the record, in 2019, Kiehm met a woman on Bumble, an online dating application. He introduced himself as Dae Up Lee Kim and told her that he was a finance professional who had graduated from Stanford University.

Kim and his victim began what she thought was a serious romantic relationship and lived together in the woman’s apartment until 2021.

In early 2020, Kiehm persuaded her to purchase a home on Decatur Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, that was being sold at an auction. She was traveling for work and unable to attend the auction in person.

Kiehm allegedly told her that he had attended the February 2020 auction, that they were the second-highest bidders, and that to maintain that second-place spot, they needed to send a cashier’s check to the trustee of the property.

Kiehm, who had communicated with the broker for the property over email, sent the woman the terms and conditions of the sale and instructed her to send a cashier’s check for $78,250 to someone whom his girlfriend understood to be the broker.

Two weeks later, Kiehm allegedly told her that the bid from the highest bidder had fallen through. He instructed her to send additional funds to the same purported broker, and provided her with specific wire information, including the bank and account number. She complied and sent two wire transfers in the amounts of $86,750 and $107,000, respectively. Kiehm also gave her a contact of sale, which she signed.

As alleged, Kiehm did not actually attend the auction or bid on the property. The individual who received the money was an associate of Kiehm’s. The funds that the victim sent were quickly withdrawn as cash or transferred into an account jointly held in the names of Kiehm and his associate, before also being withdrawn as cash.

The woman subsequently discovered an identification card in the name of “Brandon Kiehm,” a name she didn’t recognize, and then found additional ID cards and mail addressed to that same name. Kiehm admitted that his real name was Brandon Dae Up Kiehm. The woman contacted the broker of the Decatur Street property, who informed her that Kiehm had never placed a bid.

This woman was mulcted.