The United States Federal Bureau of Investigations, FBI, is investigating alleged wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy by seven Nigerian men who acted as middlemen to receive $8 million proceeds of romance scams from victims of internet fraudsters, known as Yahoo Boys.
The accused are 39-year-old Bolanle Christina Odeyale; Oghenemine Jeffrey Agbroko, 34; Charles Owhonigho Emurotu, 40; Jimmy Iwezu, 44, Lori Tsoritse, 38; Rukevwe Solomon Ologban, 44 and Christopher Onyedikachi Okereke, 38.
According to US prosecutors, between March 2018 and June 2019, the suspects collaborated with fraudsters based in Nigeria to execute romance scams across America, targeting lonely citizens who were vulnerable to falling for the schemes.
Using fake attractive personas online, the scammers lured vulnerable women into romantic relationships and began extorting them under the pretext of various financial needs like unprecedented medical illnesses and so on, the indictment sheet said.
“The defendants either helped the Utah Money Transmitters source opportunities to work with Yahoo boys or helped them to transmit the fraud proceeds from the District of Utah to other places within the United States or abroad,” stated the U.S. attorney’s office.
The accused opened new U.S. bank accounts to receive the proceeds of fraud from victims, took a cut of the fraud and sent the balance to the Yahoo Boys in Nigeria.
“By operating in the District of Utah, they opened accounts at United States financial institutions to be used to collect money from victims and to distribute money to the coconspirators, to conceal the ultimate destination of the funds and the Yahoo boys’ location and identities,” stated the attorney’s office.