Adetomiwa Seun Akindele, a 37-year-old Nigerian national who had been living in Minnesota, was sentenced to 71 months in federal prison for defrauding a Colorado woman through an online romance scheme. He was also ordered to pay $1,692,945 in restitution and received a forfeiture money judgment of the same amount. After completing his sentence, Akindele will be deported to Nigeria.
Court documents state that from January to October 2018, Akindele posed as “Frank Labato,” a fictitious wealthy Italian American businessman on a dating website. He met a widowed woman from Colorado and began communicating with her via email and phone calls. Akindele provided false information about his identity and background, using images and photos to support his claims.
In March 2018, he told the victim he faced a financial crisis related to work abroad and asked for money. At his instruction, the victim opened a cryptocurrency exchange account and wired over $1.6 million as directed by Akindele. The funds were then converted into various cryptocurrencies, laundered across multiple exchanges, changed back into U.S. dollars, and deposited into Akindele’s bank accounts. He falsely assured the victim she would be repaid by issuing three fraudulent promissory notes.
United States Attorney Peter McNeilly commented on the outcome: “This sentence both serves justice to the victim and helps prevent this individual from scamming someone else,” said United States Attorney Peter McNeilly. “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.”
FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek added: “Romance scammers are relentless and cunning, preying on trust and emotion to exploit victims,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “This was an egregious case, and through relentless investigative work the perpetrator was tracked down and brought to justice.”
The sentencing took place before United States District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney.
The FBI Denver Field Office led the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Martha A. Paluch prosecuted the case.
Case number: 22-cr-00326-CNS
