$405,000 gone in a heartbeat. A Nigerian man has pleaded guilty to an elaborate romance fraud scheme targeting American citizens. This isn’t his first rodeo with the law, either. What does this case reveal about the sophisticated world of online scams and the trust we place in virtual connections?
A significant legal development has unfolded in the United States, where a Nigerian national, Daniel Chima Inweregbu, has entered a guilty plea to serious fraud charges. The case centers on his involvement in an elaborate romance scam that successfully defrauded American citizens of a sum exceeding $405,000, underscoring the pervasive threat of online deception.
Inweregbu, aged 40, explicitly admitted to multiple charges, including “conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and using an assumed name to commit a mail fraud scheme.” This confession, detailed in a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), sheds light on the sophisticated methods employed in this financial crime.
The intricate scheme, orchestrated by Inweregbu and his co-conspirators, specifically targeted unsuspecting American citizens over an extended period. The fraudulent activities commenced on July 1, 2017, and continued relentlessly until December 16, 2018, leaving a trail of significant financial loss and emotional distress for the victims of online scams.
Furthermore, the investigation revealed that Inweregbu and his associates went to great lengths to obscure the origins of their illicit gains. They systematically laundered the funds by executing numerous financial transactions, artfully designed to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds, often by channeling the victims’ funds through multiple intermediaries.
Upon his sentencing, Inweregbu now faces formidable legal repercussions. For Count 1 of the indictment, he could be imprisoned for up to twenty years, followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a substantial fine of up to $250,000, reflecting the severity of the mail fraud and wire fraud offenses.
Additionally, for Count 12, the penalties are equally stringent, potentially including up to twenty years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and an even larger fine, reaching up to $500,000. These penalties are coupled with a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 per count, emphasizing the judicial system’s commitment to addressing financial crime.
The culmination of this legal process is set for December 4, 2025, when Judge Brown will preside over the official sentencing. This date marks a critical juncture in bringing closure to the victims and delivering justice in this high-profile romance fraud case.
Interestingly, this is not Inweregbu’s first encounter with the law concerning romance fraud. In December 2020, a federal high court in Lagos, Nigeria, had previously sentenced him to eighteen months’ imprisonment, with an alternative option of a ₦300,000 fine for a similar offense, demonstrating a pattern of involvement in such online scams. He was also mandated to pay $15,000 to the United States Consulate as a refund for the unlawful proceeds he had acquired, highlighting the transnational nature of these financial crimes and the global efforts to combat them.
