A Chief United States District Judge, Richard Myers II, has sentenced a Nigerian, Saheed Owolabi, to 15 years’ imprisonment for defrauding Americans and laundering the sum of $1.5m.

The US Department of Justice disclosed this in a statement made available on its website on Tuesday.

It was gathered that Owolabi feigned a female identity to build online relationships with male Americans.

The statement noted that Owolabi used a fake identity to deceive his victims into sending money and personal information.

It continued, “Inmate Owolabi and others used bank accounts provided by the victims to launder money from other fraudulent operations and stole more than $120,000 from a victim in the EDNC, among many other victims.”

It added that upon his arrest and trial, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The statement continued, “In sentencing Inmate Owolabi to 15 years in prison, Chief Judge Myers determined that Inmate Owolabi was a leader or organiser within an extensive organisation, engaged in sophisticated money laundering, and caused substantial financial hardship to victims through his schemes.

—Source: punchmetro.