The suspects are actually 10 in number,
but FBI has succeeded in arresting seven and has identified them as Nigerians.
According to Oklahoma’s News4 seven of the
10 suspects have been charged with conspiring to launder illegal proceeds that
were obtained as a result of Nigerian romance scam operations. The information
on the arrest of the Nigerians is contained in a news release issued by the
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Oklahoma.
It was also gathered that most of these
suspects are Norman citizens. The scam could end with prison for the 10
suspects, said Oklahoma’s News4.
The suspects have been identified as, Afeez
Olajide Adebara, 34, U.S. citizen residing in Norman, Oluwaseun John Ogundele,
30, U.S. citizen residing in Norman and Brooklyn, Joshua Nnandom Ditep, 25,
Nigerian citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States residing in
Norman, Paul Usoro, 25, Nigerian citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United
States residing in Norman, Chibuzo Godwin Obiefuna Jr, 26, U.S. citizen
residing in Norman and Long Beach, California, Jamiu Ibukun Adedeji, 23,
citizen of Nigeria, residing in Norman and Tobiloba Kehinde, 27, citizen of
Nigeria residing in Norman.
FBI stated that the names of three
suspects are yet unknown. The agency however noted that the first among the
three, maintains an address in Brooklyn, the second maintains an address in
Dallas, Texas, while the third also maintains an address in Dallas.
Oklahoma’s News4 noted that indictments
were handed down by a federal grand jury in October. That indictment was
unsealed on Wednesday after seven among the suspects were arrested in early
morning operations executed by the FBI in three states.
The news release stated that five suspects
were arrested in Norman, one was captured in Brooklyn, N.Y., and one was arrested
in Long Beach, Calif. The three other defendants are still on the loose.
"These individuals used a
conspiracy involving romance scams to prey on dozens of victims across the
country, many of whom experienced significant financial loss. Today's arrests
demonstrate that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will not allow
criminals to defraud innocent Americans," said FBI Special Agent in Charge,
Melissa Godbold of the Oklahoma City Field Office.
The co-conspirators concealed romance
scam operation proceeds by moving money between and among multiple bank
accounts that they opened using fraudulent forms of identification to hide
their identities and the source of the funds, the news release states.
Investigators identified at least three
victims of the alleged scams in Seminole, Fla., Centerville, Ohio, and Pryor, Okla.
The co-conspirators are alleged to have
coordinated with unknown individuals in Nigeria who had assumed false
identities on online dating websites and social media platforms to defraud
victims, according to the news release.
The Nigerian accomplices told the
victims they were U.S. residents working abroad, the news release states.
"At the early stages of the
'romance,' victims would receive requests for relatively small gifts, such as
iTunes gift cards and cell phones. As the relationships continued, the requests
would develop into increasingly larger sums of money, with the claimed purpose
that the funds were needed to complete overseas projects or to return to the
United States," the news release states.
The Nigerian romance scammers told the
victims to send funds to the U.S. suspects’ bank accounts. They assured the
victims that the money would be allocated as needed, the new release states. After
the victims sent the funds, the U.S.-based suspects funneled the money to
accounts that they operated, according to the news release.
The release continued: "These
accounts were allegedly opened under various aliases in order to obscure the
source of the fraudulently obtained funds. In a further attempt to conceal the
source of the money, the co-conspirators also purchased salvaged vehicles and
car parts to export overseas, usually to Nigeria.”
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