A Nigerian national, Adetomiwa Seun Akindele, has been sentenced to 71 months in a United States federal prison for defrauding a Colorado woman of over $1.6 million in a romance scam. He will be deported to Nigeria upon completion of his jail term.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado said Akindele, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. He was also ordered to pay $1,692,945 in restitution and forfeit an equivalent amount.
Court records show that between January and October 2018, Akindele posed as “Frank Labato,” a wealthy Italian-American businessman, on a dating website.
He convinced a widowed Colorado woman to provide financial assistance, claiming he faced a work-related crisis abroad.
At his direction, the victim opened a cryptocurrency exchange account and transferred over $1.6 million. Akindele laundered the funds through various exchanges before converting them back into U.S. dollars and depositing them into his bank accounts. He issued fraudulent promissory notes to reassure the victim of repayment.
“This sentence both serves justice to the victim and helps prevent this individual from scamming someone else,” U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly said.
FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek described the case as “egregious,” noting that romance scammers “prey on trust and emotion to exploit victims.”
The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney.
Akindele is expected to be deported after serving his sentence, officials confirmed.
