Nigerian National, Ismaila Fafunmi Jailed Four Years For Romance Fraud In US
U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell has convicted a Nigerian national residing in Indianapolis, Ismaila Fafunmi, to 51 months in federal prison for charges related to a money laundering operation, which laundered the proceeds of romance fraud and grant fraud schemes targeting senior citizens.
According to Court records, Fafunmi was involved in a network that was comprised of several layers.
The initial layer consisted of scammers using computers in Nigeria who preyed on elderly citizens of the United States by impersonating romantic companions eager to make lasting relationships on dating websites or by offering fake federal grants to senior citizens.
According to the United States Department of Justice, Fafunmi admitted in his Plea Agreement that, beginning in June 2018, he and his co-conspirators would set up fake profiles on dating websites profiling American men, often military members.
Two victims of the scheme lived in Kentucky. One sent more than $200,000 in funds, gift cards, and electronic devices, to a person she believed to be her boyfriend.
Another sent over $170,000, for what she believed to be fees associated with a federal grant. Fafunmi received portions of these funds, kept some of the money, and sent the remainder abroad.
Fafunmi pleaded guilty in August 2020 and was sentenced on Friday.
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