A US federal judge sentenced Saheed Sunday Owolabi, a Nigerian national, to 15 years in prison for orchestrating an elaborate cyber fraud scheme and an international money laundering network that stole more than $1.5 million from American victims and funnelled the proceeds back to his home country.
On Tuesday, the US attorney's office for the Eastern District of North Carolina (EDNC) announced that Owolabi had previously been convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Federal investigators revealed that Owolabi was at the core of a complex, cyber-enabled romance scam.
He created online female personas to target men across the US, using digital relationships to dupe victims into handing over considerable amounts and sensitive personal information.
Court proceedings revealed that Owolabi and his co-conspirators exploited hacked or compromised victim bank accounts to launder illicit proceeds stemming from wider cyber-crime operations.
In just one targeted attack within EDNC, the digital enterprise stole more than $120,000 from a single victim.
Chief judge Richard Myers determined that Owolabi acted as a key organiser in the extensive criminal network, noting that the operation relied on advanced money laundering techniques that caused devastating financial ruin to its victims.
"The defendant’s role in coordinating complex cyber-enabled schemes demonstrates both the sophistication and global reach of these criminal enterprises,” said Reid Davis, Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent in charge for Charlotte.
"This conviction underscores the FBI's unwavering commitment to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling international fraud and money laundering networks that target victims across the US."
Davis added that law enforcement agencies will continue to aggressively pursue cyber-criminals who target US citizens from abroad to ensure they face justice in American courts.
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