A Nigerian national, Saheed Sunday Owolabi, has been handed a 15-year prison sentence for his role in a $1.5 million wire fraud and money laundering operation.
The sentencing was delivered on Tuesday by a federal judge following his conviction for defrauding victims in the United States and transferring illicit proceeds to Nigeria. Authorities said the case involved extensive financial crimes carried out across international borders.
“Mr Owolabi was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to findings by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Owolabi operated by posing as a woman online to establish romantic relationships with unsuspecting men in the United States, a tactic widely referred to as a romance scam.
After gaining the trust of his victims, he allegedly persuaded them to send money to accounts under his control, which were subsequently used to channel funds back to Nigeria.
Investigators also revealed that Owolabi, alongside accomplices, utilized bank accounts belonging to victims to process funds obtained from other fraudulent schemes. In one instance, more than $120,000 was reportedly taken from a victim in the Eastern District of North Carolina (EDNC), among several others affected.
Commenting on the case, U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle described Owolabi as a cheat, noting that his “conviction underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling international fraud and money laundering networks who target victims across the United States.”
The development adds to a growing list of cases involving Nigerians who have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted for fraud-related offences in the United States.
