Two US-Based Nigerians Face 40-Year Jail Term Over $560,000 Romance Scam
Two Nigerians, Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37 will face a combined 40-year jail term for participating in a romance scam.  ,  ,
A statement by the US Attorney, Alexander Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, revealed through the Department of Justice, the duo were convicted following a four-day trial and less than three hours of deliberation.
“According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the scheme, which began in January 2016, involved the creation of a fictitious persona named” Glenn Brown “on the dating website eHarmony.com. Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, both Nigerian nationals, worked with another individual who used this fake profile to initiate a romantic relationship with a victim in Albuquerque, New Mexico and subsequently request money from them”, the statement read in part.
The victim was misled into believing that their financial support was required for “Glenn Brown” to finish a allegedly construction project in Malaysia and then safely return to the United States throughout the course of the fraud.
The victim sent approximately $560, 000 to various accounts in the United States, Canada, and Malaysia between January 2016 and April 2017.
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On September 27, 2016, the victim wired approximately $28, 000 to a Woodforest Bank account in the name of Daramola Cars, as instructed by the fraudulent “Glenn Brown” persona. A seafood importer in Denmark was later given a check for $ 18, 000 by Daragola, which was then issued with a $ 14, 000 check.
Daramola denied knowing about the romance scheme, but the FBI said extensive evidence, including text and WhatsApp messages, revealed his role as a provider of bank accounts for various fraud schemes, including romance fraud schemes.
Ogunlaja’s involvement included obtaining fraudulent funds from his Bank of America account.
Specifically, on March 9 and March 15, 2016, the FBI said “Glenn Brown” instructed the victim to deposit $20, 000 cash into Ogunlaja’s account.
Following these deposits, Ogunlaja , made multiple cash withdrawals and transfers to Daramola’s account.
Following the verdict, the court ordered that Ogunlaja and Daramola remain on conditions of release pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
Source: Channels TV
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