US authorities have sentenced Oklahoma resident Afeez Adebara to four years in prison for organizing money laundering as part of an online Nigerian romance scam. The scam defrauded multiple victims, including US-based elderly persons, of over $2.5 million. Adebara pleaded guilty to the crime in November 2020.
During 2017-2019, Adebara and co-conspirators concealed the source and ownership information of the proceeds of a romance scam scheme by transferring money among multiple bank accounts. Adebara opened these bank accounts using fake identities and documents and shared their details with his Nigeria-based co-conspirators.
The overseas co-conspirators then defrauded the victims using false identities on online dating websites and social media platforms. They pretended to be US residents working or traveling abroad and requested large sums of money from their victims as the online relationships progressed. They claimed that they needed the money either for business or for returning to the US. The victims then transferred the money to the bank accounts as directed by the scammers. Adebara kept part of the funds as his commission, and sent the rest to the Nigeria-based online romance scammers. including in the form of vehicles and vehicle parts.
Source: US Department of Justice