3 Nigerian fraudsters who made millions of dollars through their internet scam activities have been sentenced to 235 years in Mississippi in the United States.
The three used various fraudulent schemes including the usual dating scam and identity theft to steal millions from their unsuspecting victims.
Oladimeji Seun Ayelotan, 30, was sentenced to 95 years in prison; Rasaq Aderoju Raheem, 31, was given 115 years and Femi Alexander Mewase, 45, got 25 years behind bars.
A court in the Southern District of Mississippi found them all guilty of crimes including mail fraud, wire fraud, identity theft, credit card fraud and theft of government property. Ayelotan and Raheem were also found guilty of conspiracies to commit bank fraud and money laundering. Dating back to at least 2001, the scammers were involved in multiple
Dating back to at least 2001, the scammers were involved in multiple internet fraud schemes, resulting in losses in the tens of millions, according to the Department of Justice. It claimed that they would befriend women on dating sites, establish a romantic relationship and then either get them to send money or have them participate in fraud schemes, usually without the victim’s knowledge.
The unsuspecting women would sometimes be required to cash counterfeit checks and money orders; use stolen credit card details to purchase goods; and use stolen personal information to take over victims’ bank accounts.
They were also apparently used to launder money via the Western Union and MoneyGram, and re-package and re-ship goods obtained fraudulently.