Two Nigerian nationals, Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, are facing up to 20 years in prison in the United States after being convicted by a federal jury for orchestrating a $560,000 romance scam.
In a statement released on Monday evening and obtained by PUNCH Metro on Tuesday, US Attorney Alexander Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, confirmed the conviction following a four-day trial and less than three hours of jury deliberation, as reported by the Department of Justice.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed that Ogunlaja and Daramola, along with other accomplices, initiated the scam in January 2016. They created a fake identity, “Glenn Brown,” on the dating website eHarmony.com.
- Germany Simplifies Visa Process for Nigerians
- Gov Adeleke Pardons boy Sentenced to Death for ‘Stealing chicken,’ 52 Others
According to prosecutors, the fraudulent profile was used to establish a romantic relationship with a victim in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Together with their co-conspirators, the pair allegedly obtained thousands of US dollars from the victim.
The statement said, “Throughout the fraud, the victim was led to believe that their financial assistance was necessary for ‘Glenn Brown’ to complete a purported construction project in Malaysia and return safely to the United States.”
Between January 2016 and April 2017, the victim sent approximately $560,000 to various accounts in the United States, Canada, and Malaysia.
On September 27, 2016, the victim wired about $28,000 to a Woodforest Bank account in the name of Daramola Cars, as instructed by the fake “Glenn Brown” persona. Daramola later wired $18,000 to a seafood importer in Denmark and issued a cheque for $14,000.
Although Daramola denied any involvement in the scam, a statement from the FBI Albuquerque Field Office indicated that text and WhatsApp messages found on his phone exposed his role in providing bank accounts for multiple fraud schemes.
The statement further noted Ogunlaja’s involvement, revealing that he used his Bank of America account to receive the fraudulent funds.
It was pointed out that “Glenn Brown” specifically instructed the victim to deposit $20,000 in cash into Ogunlaja’s account on March 9 and March 15, 2016. After receiving the deposits, Ogunlaja allegedly made several cash withdrawals and transferred the funds to Daramola’s account.
