https://fox11online.com/news/crime/nigerian-man-sentenced-in-wisconsin-for-laundering-millions-of-dollars-in-romance-scam-united-states-student-visa-otaniyen-iduozee-money-fraud-scheme-bank-accounts-prison

A Nigerian citizen will spend 3.5 years in prison for his role in an extensive fraud scheme.

Otaniyen Iduozee, who came to the United States on a student visa, was sentenced Tuesday in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Court officials say Iduozee was involved in what is known as a "romance scam" that typically targets the elderly or other vulnerable demographics. Using a fake or stolen identity, the fraudster meets their victims online or through a dating platform and feigns romantic interest.

The fraudster spends weeks or months cultivating a romantic relationship with the victim through online messaging, emails, text messaging, or voice calls, to gain his or her affection and trust.

Once the fraudster gains the victim’s affection, he begins to tell the victim about urgent financial needs, such as a business opportunity, a tax debt, or a family illness, and pressures the victim to provide financial assistance, often with the promise of repayment.

Those “loans” are never repaid, however, and many victims have lost their life savings.

In this case, after victims' money was obtained, Iduozee and his fellow scammers laundered the funds through multiple transactions and eventually moved the money overseas to Nigeria. Officials say numerous fraudulent bank accounts were established and controlled, using millions of dollars of victims' money.

"Individuals and groups who engage in these types of schemes not only cause financial loss but also shatter the trust of their victims, inflicting multiple layers of trauma and harm,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard Frohling in a news release. “I commend the courage of the victims in speaking up and commend the hard work of all involved in seeking to hold the conspirators accountable for their actions.”

After completing his prison sentence, Iduozee agreed to be removed from the United States.