
Romance scam "money mules" sentenced in case that ended with Illinois woman's death
CBSN
Three Chicago-area residents involved in moving more than $3.5 million for an overseas-based romance scam network were sentenced in recent weeks, including a former U.S. Postal Service employee who told CBS News she regretted getting sucked into the "dumb-ass scheme" by her then-boyfriend.
Jennifer Gosha, a former U.S. post office employee and Iraqi war veteran, was sentenced to three years probation, with the first six months on house arrest with limited movement, for her involvement in the fraud case out of Chicago.
One of the victims connected to the scams facilitated by the three defendants was 57-year-old Laura Kowal. For over a year, CBS News investigated the disappearance and death of Kowal, a widow and retired health care executive from Galena, Illinois.

WASHINGTON — An American intelligence assessment of the Ecuadorian presidential election, set for Sunday, concluded that a reelection of the incumbent president would better serve U.S. national security interests over the challenger. The assessment comes as the Trump administration mulls establishing a permanent U.S. military presence in the South American country, once known as the "island of peace," to help battle violent gangs, CBS News has learned.