U.S.—Ismaila Fafunmi, a Nigerian man residing in the US state of Indiana, has pleaded guilty to romance and grant scheme fraud before a federal court in Kentucky.
According to his plea agreement, Fafunmi admitted working in conjunction with others to defraud U.S. citizens through online romance scheme. https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-1724430840905480&output=html&h=280&adk=362713515&adf=928772618&w=854&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1599310980&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=3689043609&psa=1&guci=2.2.0.0.2.2.0.0&ad_type=text_image&format=854×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnigeriabroad.com%2Flife-abroad%2Fnews%2Ffafunmi-pleads-guilty-to-romance-fraud-in-the-us&flash=0&fwr=0&pra=3&rh=200&rw=854&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&fa=27&adsid=ChAI8O7M-gUQjtDY_YyuiPB4EkwA7m0QzGwx4zE9D2aWcGrEqvB-eGbl72dbDLoT6p6DvFABDVJT5bui7NoCp5uI1rUg6Gh8Ds9z5xMe4mUKxjej3iRCzvTdoXWmfYNe&dt=1599310980161&bpp=5&bdt=846&idt=-M&shv=r20200831&cbv=r20190131&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3Dfdc185a1aa5dcf6b%3AT%3D1599273929%3AS%3DALNI_MbuzJ61dq1CBeZkyHM3RJ3Dizr2aw&prev_fmts=0x0%2C1200x280&nras=2&correlator=529227142140&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=1072462014.1599273927&ga_sid=1599310980&ga_hid=1899814672&ga_fc=0&iag=0&icsg=539004554&dssz=21&mdo=0&mso=0&u_tz=60&u_his=7&u_java=0&u_h=768&u_w=1366&u_ah=738&u_aw=1366&u_cd=24&u_nplug=3&u_nmime=4&adx=91&ady=1866&biw=1349&bih=618&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&oid=3&pvsid=746674239193752&pem=475&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fnigeriabroad.com%2Flife-abroad%2Fnews&rx=0&eae=0&fc=1408&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C1366%2C0%2C1366%2C738%2C1366%2C618&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=8320&bc=31&ifi=3&uci=a!3&btvi=1&fsb=1&xpc=KZVqSdeQiS&p=https%3A//nigeriabroad.com&dtd=27
The scheme involved setting up fake profiles on dating websites and impersonating especially American military men and luring older American women into fake relationships.
“Fafunmi and his co-conspirators would then convince these unsuspecting women to send money for various reasons. One victim of the scheme lived in Kentucky and sent more than $200,000 to a person she believed to be her boyfriend,” the US Department of Justice said in a statement.
“In another scheme, Fafunmi received funds from another female over 50, who believed she was being awarded a large grant and had to pay fees up front in order to receive her award,” the statement further stated.
Some of the funds were wired back to bank accounts in Nigeria as well as to random bank accounts in the United States. The frauds were perpetrated up from June 2018 but Fafunmi was indicted in October 2019.
“Internet-based romance scams and grant fraud scams, like the ones perpetrated here, prey on vulnerable individuals and frequently consist of nothing more than promises that are too good to be true and despicable efforts to cheat people out of their money,” said Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney and part of the prosecution, who thanked the FBI for busting the crime.
Fafunmi is scheduled to be sentenced on November 19, 2020 and faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000.
Only weeks ago, three Nigerians were also indicted for internet fraud in the US.