A Michigan resident and two Texas residents were sentenced on federal charges for a five-year international mail and wire fraud scheme targeting elderly and vulnerable people in the United States. The scheme involved creating fake online personas, exploiting romantic interests, and requesting money for various fabricated reasons.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - A Michigan resident and two Texas residents have been sentenced on federal charges over a multifaceted mail and wire fraud scheme originating in Nigeria.The international scheme lasted for about five years, and frequently targeted elderly and particularly vulnerable people in the United States, according to a report from U.
S. District Attorney Mark Totton of the Western District of Michigan office. 'Financial fraud is not a 'faceless' crime â and today's sentencings help secure a measure of justice for the victims of this international fraud scheme,' Totten said in Wednesday's press release. 'Some of the victims lost their retirement savings, took loans against their homes, or suffered other financial distress because of the defendants' lies.'The three who were sentenced are: Fatai Okunola, 38, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, who was sentenced to 121 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $731,879.16 on the fraud conspiracy charge. He was additionally sentenced to 60 months in prison for making false statements when seeking naturalization as a U.S. Citizen and 120 months in prison for committing money laundering with the proceeds from the fraud conspiracy, those sentences running concurrently with the conspiracy sentence. In the meantime, the court also ordered him to report to immigration authorities for deportation after serving that sentence. Oluwaseyi Adeola, 34, of Dallas, Texas, who was sentenced to 34 months in prison for the fraud conspiracy and ordered to pay restitution of $409,968.93. Ijeoma Adeola, 36, also of Dallas, Texas, who was sentenced to three years probation for misprision of a felony and ordered to pay restitution of $48,570. One additional person, Cory McDougal, 33, of Romeoville, Illinois, has also pled guilty to the fraud conspiracy. He will be sentenced at a later date. The perpetrators used the internet and social media platforms to communicate with the victims, the district attorney's office explained. According to court records, the defendants conspired with others who were primarily in Nigeria and had created false online personals. 'These relationships centered around romantic interests, offers to buy or sell goods or services, apartment rentals, or offers to make loans or provide grant funding, among other schemes,' the district attorney's office reported. 'The conspirators sent pictures or provided other information to the victims to make their schemes appear genuine. 'When the conspirators used telephone calls, they used voice-over-internet-protocol numbers to make it appear as if the calls were originating within the United States near the victims. After developing the relationships, the conspirators asked for money for a variety of reasons related to the scheme.' The money was directed to numerous bank accounts after being received through the mail , bank transfers or peer-to-peer money transfer services. The ongoing scheme resulted in more than $2 million being fraudulently received between 2017 and 2022. Okunola used some of the proceeds he received to assist others in purchasing vehicles in the United States and then exporting them to Nigeria, the district attorney's office reported. 'Our agents will continue the important work of dismantling interstate and international fraud schemes that would seek to rob Americans of their hard-earned money,' HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar said in the announcement. 'These cases are too often a reminder for us to check in on elderly family members and members of our community to ensure that they are not taken advantage of by sophisticated schemes.' Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Detroit Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, said the resolution of the case 'showcases the outstanding efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and our law enforcement partners in dismantling this international fraud scheme and delivering justice for those affected.' The Homeland Security Investigations along with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Grand Rapids office, are continuing their investigation in this case. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety assisted. The district attorney's office said anyone who suspects an ongoing internet-based crime is encouraged to file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, the FBI's hub for reporting cybercrime.
FRAUD INTERNATIONAL CRIME ELDERLY VICTIMS NIGERIAN FRAUD INTERNET CRIME
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