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Man Deceived By Alleged Online Romance Scam Gets Prison For Planned Revenge

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Michigan man has been sentenced to five years in prison for traveling to San Diego with plans to kill two people he believed scammed him in an online romance.

Federal prosecutors say Brian Hile of Fremont, Mich., was sentenced Friday for interstate stalking.

Authorities say Hile became enraged after learning he'd had a two-year online romance with a South African man posing as a woman.

Prosecutors say Hile tracked down the woman he'd seen in the online photos — although her pictures actually had been stolen.

Prosecutors say Hile hacked email accounts and got information on the woman and her boyfriend, then traveled to their home in 2011 with a plan to kill them. He was arrested in San Diego with a list that included a knife and chloroform.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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