US Seeks $ 2 Million Seizure from Nigerian Arrested for Romantic Scam
A Nigerian man living in Georgia was arrested and brought to trial for the first time in an Atlanta federal court on charges of laundering the proceeds of romantic scams targeting victims in the Eastern District of North Carolina and throughout the United States.
According to court documents that SaharaReporter saw, Oluwadamilare Kolaogunbule, also known as “Daring” opened, maintained and controlled several bank accounts, called “deposit accounts”, which were used to receive, move and hold criminal proceeds, including funds derived from romantic fraud.
Romantic scam refers to a scheme in which fraudsters create fake profiles on dating sites to identify victims, form fraudulent romantic relationships with them, and then use them for profit.
According to the indictment, the defendant Samuel Ugberese, a / c / a “Putsamma” The Nigerian citizen and his associates used romantic fraud techniques, including false stories and promises, as a means of deceiving victims to transfer money on their behalf.
Kolaogunbule allegedly colluded with Ugberese to conduct financial transactions through his bank accounts, including accounts registered with alleged export companies in Georgia, in order to conceal and conceal the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the criminal proceeds.
The indictment requires a monetary confiscation of at least $ 2,367,520 associated with the regimes.
Kolaogunbule is charged with a money-laundering criminal community and, if convicted, faces a maximum of 240 months in prison.
“Romantic fraud is one of the most common and heinous crimes in the digital age. “Scammers outside of our borders are looking for dating sites on the Internet for the sole purpose of taking advantage of people seeking communication,” said US Attorney Robert J. Higdon Jr.
“They make false promises of love, but the victims, many of whom are older Americans, experience only emotional and financial devastation. The losses associated with these crimes are enormous. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaints Center, romantic scams are more costly than other online crimes.
“In 2019 alone, romance scams caused more than $ 475 million in losses. To move this criminal proceeds into and out of our financial system, scammers often rely on local money launderers to help them avoid detection and maximize their profits.
“Stopping these criminal networks and restoring victims’ rights to justice with focused investigations and prosecutions will continue to be a priority for my office.
“It takes a heartless person to hunt lonely elderly people. Some of these victims were effectively deprived of their savings so that the conspirators could benefit from it. “
The FBI and our law enforcement partners are focused on bringing to justice the criminals who are defrauding our senior citizens, ”said Robert R. Wells, FBI Special Agent Charlotte in charge.
Source: – Sahara Reporter.
