Crime & Safety
East Providence Man Sentenced For Laundering Money To Nigeria
Federal prosecutors said victims were defrauded out of $1.78 million through romance scams, lottery frauds, rental property frauds and more.
EAST PROVIDENCE, RI — An East Providence man was sentenced after playing a critical role in laundering nearly $1.8 million to Nigeria through various scams.
Samson Ikotun, 34, pleaded guilty on September 2021 to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced Thursday to 42 months in federal prison.
Federal prosecutors said victims were defrauded out of $1.78 million through romance scams, lottery frauds, rental property frauds, email compromises and other schemes. Ikotun moved more than $888,000 of that money to people he was working with in Nigeria. He moved the money through various banking methods and by buying used vehicles he shipped and resold in Nigeria.
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FBI agents arrested Ikotun at the airport and found him with a one-way ticket to Nigeria.
Along with his prison sentence, Ikotun will also have to serve two years of supervised release.
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