A Nigerian, Saheed Sunday Owolabi, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a $1.5 million wire fraud and money laundering scheme targeting victims in the United States.
On Tuesday, a U.S. federal judge handed down the sentence after Owolabi was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed that Owolabi disguised himself as a woman to establish online relationships with men in the U.S.—a common tactic known as a romance scam.
Once trust was gained, Owolabi persuaded his victims to wire funds into his personal accounts, which he then laundered to Nigeria. In addition to the $1.5 million, Owolabi and his accomplices used bank accounts provided by victims to launder money from other fraudulent schemes, including stealing more than $120,000 from a single victim in the Eastern District of North Carolina (EDNC).
U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle described Owolabi as a “cheat” and emphasized that his conviction highlights the FBI’s commitment to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling international fraud and money laundering networks targeting victims across the United States.
This case adds to a growing number of Nigerians who have been arrested, tried, and convicted of fraud in the U.S., illustrating the transnational reach of such criminal schemes.