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Instead, Patrick M. Giblin said he spent the money at casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, or on personal expenses.
Giblin must repay the women $182,444, under the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler. To date, victims said they sent amounts ranging from $100 to $50,000.
However, it appears unlikely the women will get any money returned.
Giblin, 42, of Atlantic City, has said he gambled away the money and had not been working. He has been in federal custody since his arrest in March 2005 at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel Casino. He pleaded guilty to 10 counts of wire fraud in May 2006.
Prosecutors said Giblin created numerous accounts with online dating services, including Qwest Personals, Lavalife, Intimate Connections and Private Lines, in different parts of the country to allow him to correspond with women in those areas.
Through e-mail and phone calls, he would build a relationship.
At his plea hearing, Giblin admitted he lied when he told the women he was interested in beginning a romantic relationship and that he was moving to their area.
Giblin told the women he needed money for travel expenses, and promised to repay the loans as soon as he moved.
The scheme ran from January 2000 until March 2005, and included accounts supposedly based in New York, Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia and Georgia, prosecutors said.
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