Adedokun Waliyu 
Four Nigerian nationals living in the United States and Canada — Patrick Edah, Efe Egbowawa, Igocha Mac-Okor, and Kay Ozegbe — have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a romance and investment scam targeting victims across the U.S., including Western Tennessee.
Reagan Fondren, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, in a statement, said they were sentenced on Tuesday.
The four Nigerians were convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, part of a scheme involving false identities and fake email accounts on dating sites to defraud people into wiring or mailing money to shell companies and fictitious agents.
A federal grand jury in Tennessee indicted them on 29 June 2023.
The individuals indicted are: Patrick Edah, 40, from Toronto, Canada; Efe Egbowawa, 41, from Atlanta; Igocha Mac-Okor, 40, also from Atlanta; and Kay Ozegbe, 44, a naturalised U.S. citizen residing in Atlanta.
Court evidence showed that from 2017 to approximately November 2021, the defendants used social media, gaming applications, dating websites, and other platforms to lure victims into fake friendships and romantic relationships.
These relationships, formed through online interactions, developed quickly before the scammers started asking for emergency financial assistance.
Some victims lost amounts ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. One Tennessee resident lost over $400,000 over several months.
The defendants, acting as “money mules,” helped move the scam proceeds through multiple bank accounts and shell companies to obscure the sources and make the money harder to trace.
U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Parker sentenced Egbowawa to 60 months in prison on 17 April 2024. Judge Parker later sentenced Ozegbe to 36 months on 23 September 2024, and sentenced Edah and Mac-Okor on 30 October 2024 to 30 and 50 months, respectively.
“These individuals used deception and fraud to prey on the vulnerable causing unmeasurable emotional damage and significant financial losses,” said Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI’s Nashville Field Office.
“The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to target these predators and bring them to justice.
The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service led the investigation.
