Nigerian national sentenced for defrauding seniors with romance scams
BENTON, Ill. – A Nigerian national appeared in federal court on Thursday to be sentenced for running romance scams in Illinois and other parts of the country, defrauding at least a dozen people of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois said Ogheneofejiro G. Uzokpa, 28, targeted elderly or disabled women into sending money at the request of a fake romantic partner they'd only met online.
Uzokpa and other co-conspirators operated this scheme between March 2020 and February 2021. They would pursue personal and romantic relationships with these victims to gain their trust. Uzokpa used other women in the United States, including an Effingham, Illinois, woman, as "money mules" to collect the money from the victims and then transfer those funds to him in Nigeria.
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"Targeting vulnerable people to exploit through romance scams is cruel, as the perpetrators not only steal the victim's money, but they also manipulate their emotions and rob them of a genuine relationship," U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe said. "The defendant's callous conduct is worthy of this significant sentence, and I applaud the FBI's efforts to pursue justice for the victims."
A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Uzokpa to seven years in prison and ordered him to pay $329,470 in restitution to his victims.
The Federal Trade Commission says Americans reported more than 64,000 romance scams in 2023, costing victims approximately $1.14 billion. If you or a loved one has been a victim of a romance scam, you can report the crime to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov .
"We can't stress enough how important it is to be aware of the red flags associated with these types of scams," FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson said. "Be cautious when someone you've never met in person begins asking for money or personal information, and don't hesitate to call us if you suspect you're being victimized."
