Evergreen Reporter

A Nigerian national has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for orchestrating a romance scam that defrauded elderly and disabled women across the United States. Ogheneofejiro Godswill Uzokpa, 28, from Warri, Nigeria, was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. He is also required to pay $329,470 in restitution to his victims.

The court documents revealed that Uzokpa and his co-conspirators ran a scheme between March 2020 and February 2021. They exploited vulnerable women by forming fake romantic relationships online to gain their trust. Uzokpa used U.S.-based women as "money mules" to collect funds from the victims and transfer them to him in Nigeria.

"Targeting vulnerable people to exploit through romance scams is cruel," stated U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. "The defendant’s callous conduct is worthy of this significant sentence."

FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson emphasized the difficulty of identifying overseas scammers but praised the FBI's global efforts. "We can’t stress enough how important it is to be aware of the red flags associated with these types of scams," he said.

Uzokpa and his accomplices often posed as Americans working abroad in high-paying professions, such as doctors or surgeons, using aliases when communicating with victims. They fabricated stories about needing money due to inaccessible bank accounts or for "processing fees." Victims were instructed to send money via personal checks, cashier checks, electronic fund transfers, or gift cards.

Romance scams affect thousands annually; the Federal Trade Commission reported over 64,000 cases in 2023 with losses totaling $1.14 billion. Victims are encouraged to report such crimes to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

The investigation was led by the FBI Springfield Field Office with Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Gross prosecuting the case.