4 PG County Scammers Convicted of Luring Victims into Fake Romantic Relationships

GREENBELT, MD — Four Prince George's County residents have been convicted for luring victims into fake romantic relationships and then bilking them out of millions of dollars.

A federal jury convicted the following defendants on Nov. 18 for conspiracies to commit wire fraud and money laundering: 58-year-old Gbenga Benson Ogundele of Laurel, Md.; 42-year-old Victor Oyewumi Oloyede of Laurel; 34-year-old Babtunde Emmanuel Popoola of Bowie, Md.; and 42-year-old Mojisola Tinuola Popoola of Laurel.

Prosecutors say they were members of a conspiracy to search online dating websites to initiate romantic relationships with "vulnerable male and female individuals," according to a statement from the Justice Department.

"They phoned, emailed, texted and used internet chat messenger services to form romantic relationships with the victims, who lived in Maryland and around the country," the statement notes. "Witnesses testified that members of the conspiracy used false stories and promises to convince the victims to provide money to the conspirators, including fake hospital bills, plane trips to visit the victims, problems with overseas businesses and foreign taxes."

The four individuals opened bank accounts to receive millions of dollars from victims, with payments ranging from $1,720 to $50,000.

"Ogundele, Oloyede, the Popoolas, and their co-conspirators dispersed money received from the victims by transferring funds to other accounts controlled by the conspirators, by obtaining cashier’s checks, and by writing checks to individuals or entities, in order to conceal the nature, source, and control of those assets," the statement adds.

The defendants face a maximum of 20 years in prison. All of the defendants except Mojisola Popoola face a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for them on Jan. 25, Feb. 22 and Feb. 23.

Image via Flickr user Chris Potter