Ten years ago, a scam was launched to swindle Raines Tree Farm heir Ralph Raines Jr., now 67-years old, out of his fortune through a decade long con that included a fake marriage and child, according to Oregon prosecutors. The alleged con-artists that duped Raines out of up to $20 million are mother-daughter duo Rachel Lee, 43, and Porsha Lee, 25. Rachel Lee met Raines in 2004 and gained his trust by becoming a caretaker for his father in 2006. In 2008, the then 17-year-old Porsha Lee adopted a persona as a UK resident named Mary Marks in need of a green card and wanting Raines to father a child with her, and convinced Raines to be a sperm donor to help her achieve her goal of mother-hood. The mother-daughter team then convinced Raines that Porsha was his wife and that Porsha’s nephew was Raines’ son. Both women have pled guilty, but have not yet been sentenced. Despite the guilty pleas and being left with only $200,000 remaining of his family fortune, Raines maintains that he has a son with his wife Mary Marks.
See Joel Christie, Mother-Daughter Con Artist Duo ‘Spent 10 Years Scamming Elderly Farming Heir Out of $20 Million After Convincing Him He Had a Son Named Giorgio Armani’, Daily Mail, Jan. 8, 2015.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
