Nigerian man jailed 71 months in US for $1.6m romance scam
A Nigerian national, Adetomiwa Seun Akindele, has been sentenced to 71 months in a US federal prison for defrauding a Colorado widow of more than $1.6 million in a romance scam. He will be deported to Nigeria after serving his jail term. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado said the 37-year-old pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering. He was ordered to pay $1,692,945 in restitution and forfeit an equivalent sum. How the fraud worked Court filings revealed that between January and October 2018, Akindele: Pretended to be “Frank Labato,” a wealthy Italian-American businessman, on a dating website. Gained the trust of a widowed Colorado woman and convinced her to provide financial assistance for a supposed overseas business crisis. Directed her to open a cryptocurrency exchange account and transfer more than $1.6 million. Laundered the funds […]
