FBI Charge Photographer With $4.6 Million Child Modeling Fraud

A photographer has been charged in federal court in connection with an alleged $4.6 million fraud scheme tied to child modeling opportunities.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan say Chanise Coyne, 46, was indicted on seven counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. The charges stem from allegations that she collected more than $4.6 million from a family by claiming the funds were needed for advance fees related to placing their young daughter in modeling events around the country.

According to the indictment, the scheme began in or around April 2023 and continued for roughly two years. Prosecutors allege Coyne created false records to make it appear that modeling events had been arranged and impersonated a third party purportedly involved in coordinating those events. Court filings state that the child “did not participate in a single modeling event resulting from Coyne’s work.”

Instead, authorities allege the money was diverted for Coyne’s personal use, including significant gambling expenses. The indictment references multiple payments to the online sports betting platform FanDuel, including five $20,000 transactions in March 2024 following a $160,000 wire transfer from the family.

“The purpose of the scheme to defraud was for Coyne to obtain money and enrich herself by, among other things, materially false and fraudulent representations to Victim A and his family members regarding Coyne’s purported work relating to the placement of Victim A’s daughter in modeling events,” the indictment states, per US Weekly.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. says: “Fraud schemes that prey on the emotional bonds of families are egregious. This defendant allegedly took advantage of a family’s love for their daughter, stole their nest egg, and then gambled it away. We will pursue fraud schemes in all their forms.”

Coyne was arrested by FBI agents and pleaded not guilty at her arraignment. She was later released on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Her attorney, John D. Dakmak, did not immediately respond to requests for comment by local media.

Separately, some Metro Detroit residents have publicly alleged smaller-scale disputes involving canceled photography sessions and refunds. WXYZ Detroit reports that a private Facebook group titled “Chanise Coyne Scam Victims” grew in membership after news of the federal charges became public.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.