Two Nigerian individuals have been sentenced for their roles in romance fraud schemes, with penalties including prison time, probation, and restitution totaling $356,671, according to United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
Charles Emeka Obije, 40, acted as a “money mule” from 2016 to 2019, working with a group of individuals who used fake identities to engage with victims across the United States through email, social media, and online dating apps. Their objective was to establish romantic relationships online with the intent of defrauding the victims.
Obije’s sister-in-law and accomplice, Ijeoma Miriam Chanthavong, 36, assisted in laundering the ill-gotten gains from these fraudulent schemes. They conspired to transfer the proceeds from online romance fraud scams into bank accounts controlled by the group in Nigeria. In total, they defrauded victims out of $356,671.
Obije, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit international money laundering, was sentenced on September 13, 2023, to 14 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $356,671 in restitution. Chanthavong, who also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit international money laundering, was sentenced on April 19, 2023, to three years of probation and ordered to pay $148,500 in restitution.
This case resulted from a joint investigation conducted by IRS Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney William C. Mattessich handled the prosecution.
By FCCT Editorial Team
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