Internet Dating Scam, Money Laundering Sends Owings Mills Man To Prison

OWINGS MILLS, MD — An Owings Mills man was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison, followed by three years of probation, for his role in an online dating scam created to steal and launder millions of dollars. The U.S. Attorney's office for Maryland says that a federal judge sentenced Olufemi Wilfred Williams, of Owings Mills, Maryland, to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit money laundering arising from a scheme to defraud vulnerable victims of millions of dollars.

Williams was also ordered to forfeit and pay restitution of more than $375,000. He pleaded guilty to the charge on Feb. 21.

According to court documents, from January 2011 to May 18, 2015, Williams searched online dating websites to start romantic relationships with vulnerable men and women. He phoned, emailed, texted, and used internet chat messenger services to form romantic relationships with the victims, who lived in Maryland and around the country. Williams then used false stories and promises to convince the victims to give him money for fake hospital bills, plane trips to visit the victims, problems with overseas businesses, and foreign taxes.

Williams and other conspirators opened bank accounts, called “drop accounts,” in order to receive millions of dollars from the victims via deposits or wire transfers. Authorities say Williams then dispersed the money to other accounts controlled by the conspirators, by writing cashier’s checks to individuals or entities.

The following co-defendants were previously convicted at trial or pleaded guilty:

• Gbenga Benson Ogundele, a/k/a “Benson Ogundele,” 58, of Laurel
• Victor Oyewumi Oloyede, 42, of Laurel
• Olusegun Charles Ogunseye, a/k/a “Charles O. Ogunseye,” 58, of Laurel
• Babtunde Emmanuel Popoola, a/k/a “Emmanuel Popoola” and his sister, “Tunde Popoola, 34, of Bowie
• Mojisola Tinuola Popoola, a/k/a “Mojisola Oluwakemi Tin Popoola” and “Moji T. Popoola,” 42, of Laurel
• Adeyinka Olubunmi Awolaja Jr., a/k/a “Yinka O. Awolaja, Jr.,” 34, formerly of New Carrolltown
• Olusola Olla, 50, of Greensboro, North Carolina

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