A US federal grand jury has convicted two Nigerian nationals, Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja and Abel Adeyi Daramola, of internet fraud in a romance scam case involving $560,000, SAVANNAH NEWSNOW REPORTS.
A jury delivered a verdict in Albuquerque’s U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico on Monday, following a four-day trial, finding two men guilty of conspiring to defraud a woman by exploiting a fabricated romantic relationship to obtain funds, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The duo was allegedly part of a larger syndicate that included Nigerian celebrity auto dealer Adesuwa Ogiozee, who has denied any involvement, stating that the charges against her are unfounded and motivated by bias against her Nigerian heritage.
“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. Daramola subsequently wired $18,000 to a seafood importer in Denmark and issued a check for $14,000.
“Daramola denied any knowledge of the romance scheme. However, the FBI’s investigation uncovered extensive evidence, including text and WhatsApp correspondence on Daramola’s phone, revealing his role as a provider of bank accounts for various fraud schemes, including romance fraud schemes.
Ogunlaja allegedly used his Bank of America account to receive fraudulent funds, with ‘Glenn Brown’ instructing the victim to deposit $20,000 into Ogunlaja’s account on March 9 and March 15, 2016.
Ogunlaja then made multiple cash withdrawals and transfers to Daramola’s account. The duo faces up to 20 years in prison and has been ordered to remain on bail until their sentencing, which has not been scheduled.
