Romance Fraud Scheme Leads To 15-Month Sentence For Woodbridge Man

WOODBRIDGE, VA — A Woodbridge man was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in romance and investment fraud schemes that targeted older Americans. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced the sentencing on Thursday.

The man, 40-year-old Ishmael Kayede, pleaded guilty in June, according to court records. He could have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years, based on federal guidelines.

Prosecutors said Kayede participated in the fraud scheme with others from 2014 to 2019. With his accomplices, Kayede laundered money from diamond and gold investment and romance fraud, authorities said.

"During his participation in this money laundering conspiracy, Kayede received funds in his bank accounts from victims of those romance and other fraud schemes while working with and at the direction of associates located in foreign jurisdictions, including Ghana," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Authorities said Kayede's schemes mostly targeted older Americans using dating sites like match.com.

"They would befriend potential victims on the dating websites using false pretenses and would then exploit that trust to convince the victims to send money to Kayede’s bank accounts," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "Kayede would then transmit the funds to Ghana."

Some victims lost more than $100,000 in the scheme, according to court records. Kayede helped launder more than $1.3 million from 2014 to 2019, prosecutors said.

The Federal Trade Commission operates a National Elder Fraud Hotline for people who are 60 or older. The service is designed to help victims of financial fraud. The hotline can be reached at 1-833-372-8311.

The hotline is staffed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.