The announcement of the Valentine’s Day indictments by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Utah comes as part of the officials’ ongoing efforts with law enforcement partners to raise awareness of fake love peddlers and prevent such crimes from taking place. Romance Scam PSA.
Defendants include, Bolanle Christina Odeyale, 39, Forney, Texas; Oghenemine Jeffrey Agbroko, 34, of Nigeria; Charles Owhonigho Emurotu, 40, of Ontario, Canada; Jimmy Iwezu, 44, of Forney, Texas; Lori Tsoritse, 38, of Nigeria; Christopher Onyedikachi Okereke, 38, of N o, 34, of Nigeria; Charles Owhonigho Emurotu, 40, of Ontario, Canada; Jimmy Iwezu, 44, of Forney, Texas; Lori Tsoritse, 38, of Nigeria; Christopher Onyedikachi Okereke, 38, of Nigeria; and Rukevwe Solomon Ologban, 44, of Grand Prairie, Texas, according to the Utah prosecutors’ press release.
As alleged in the indictment, from March 2018 through June 2019, the defendants worked with a group of individuals in Utah, aka the Utah Money Transmitters, who agreed to help overseas operators launder money obtained from the romance scheme.
The primary operators of the alleged romance scams are known as the “Yahoo boys,” and operated in Nigeria, prosecutors said. Which if any, of the defendants were associated with Utah Money Transmitters, was not made clear in the press release.
The defendants either helped the Utah Money Transmitters source opportunities to work with Yahoo boys or helped them to transmit the fraud proceeds from Utah to other places within the United States or abroad, according to prosecutors. “Ultimately, the goal of the money laundering activities was to transmit the criminal proceeds to the Yahoo boys overseas, while paying a share of the financial gains to those who help move the funds along the way.”
As alleged in the indictment, the Yahoo boys typically created a fictitious online persona and used the false persona to develop romantic online relationships with potential targets of the scam.
“Once gaining the victims’ trust, the Yahoo boys would use a false pretense, such as a need to buy a laptop for a child in college, the need to repair equipment, pay an emergency medical expense or debt to the government.
Many of the victims were elderly and lost their life savings, family inheritances and retirement funds, prosecutors said. “In return for their generosity, the victims were often promised the money would be returned.”
An essential role in the romance scam was the Utah Money Transmitters, according to the release. By operating in Utah, they opened accounts at U.S. financial institutions to be used to collect money from victims and to distribute money to the co-conspirators, concealing the ultimate destination of the funds and the Yahoo boys’ location and identities.
The defendants are charged with various federal crimes, including wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. Their initial court appearances are pending before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City. The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant United States Attorney Carl D. Lesueur of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
The FBI encourages those engaged in online relationships to review and become familiar with information about romance scams on its website FBI.gov. Additionally, if you or someone you know has been a victim, file a complaint with the FBI at ic3.gov. For more information on romance scams, visit: https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/romance-scams.
