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Summary
A 37-year-old Nigerian man, Adetomiwa Seun Akindele, has been sentenced to 71 months in a U.S. federal prison for a $1.6 million romance scam that targeted a Colorado widow.
A 37-year-old Nigerian man, Adetomiwa Seun Akindele, has been sentenced to 71 months in federal prison for his role in a romance scam by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
He was also ordered to pay $1.69 million in restitution and a forfeiture money judgment of the same amount. After serving his sentence, Adetomiwa will be deported to Nigeria.
Adetomiwa Seun Akindele operated the scam between January and October 2018, posing online as a wealthy Italian American businessman named Frank Labato. He targeted a widowed woman in Colorado, convincing her that he faced financial difficulties abroad.
At his direction, she opened a cryptocurrency account and transferred over $1.6 million, which he laundered across multiple crypto exchanges before converting back into U.S. dollars for his personal use.
To gain her trust, Adetomiwa provided fabricated details, photos, and documents, even issuing three fraudulent promissory notes promising repayment. Prosecutors said he had no intention of returning the money.
According to U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly, the sentence delivers justice to the victim and helps prevent Adetomiwa from scamming someone else.
“This case should be a reminder to the public to be cautious when engaging with people they meet online, especially when those people are asking for money.”
The case was presided over by United States District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney, with the FBI Denver Field Office leading the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Martha A. Paluch prosecuted the case.
Romance scams are a growing form of online violence against women. Naija Feminists Media have reported several cases, including the viral case of Odalo, a Nigerian fraudster accused of scamming women on Twitter.
