Seven Nigerian nationals have been apprehended and brought before the court on suspicion of accepting $8 million from victims of romance scams led by Nigerian internet fraudsters.
The accused individuals, Bolanle Christina Odeyale, Oghenemine Jeffrey Agbroko, Charles Owhonigho Emurotu, Jimmy Iwezu, Lori Tsoritse, Christopher Onyedikachi Okereke, and Rukevwe Solomon Ologban, collaborated with a group identified as the Utah Money Transmitters in the District of Utah spanning from March 2018 to June 2019.
Their function within this framework was to aid in the laundering of funds derived from romance scams, commonly referred to as “Yahoo boys” operations, predominantly centered in Nigeria.
The modus operandi of the Yahoo boys involved fabricating online identities to establish relationships with victims, often duping them into transferring money for various fictitious reasons.
Numerous victims, notably elderly individuals, suffered substantial financial losses.
The Utah Money Transmitters played a pivotal role in these fraudulent schemes by initiating accounts in the United States to collect and disperse funds, thereby obscuring the final destination of the money and the identities of the Yahoo boys.
The defendants are facing charges of wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy, and are scheduled for an initial court appearance at a later date at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in Salt Lake City.