A 37-year-old Texas resident named Rotimi Oladimeji entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiring to conduct mail fraud and wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, and two counts of wire fraud, according to a news release on Monday.
In May 2019, Oladimeji revealed that a bogus LinkedIn profile of a veterinarian and animal behaviorist of a Belgian nationalist residing in St. Louis with a picture of a German man was made by someone in Nigeria.
In the same year, in August, a St. Louis woman created a profile on an online dating application. Oladimeji and others started contacting her through the fake Belgian identity in successive months.
These imposters made bogus plans of meeting her and never followed through. On one such occasion, they made her wait at Missouri Botanical Garden.
Oladimeji impersonating the Belgian man conveyed that he was on his way to Dubai, United Arabs Emirates, on a business trip, as per the reports.
A day after his alleged arrival, the fake Belgian man contacted the victim through text requesting the help of $15,000 for “an urgent business issue,” as per the Plea.
This was not the only time money was requested; it all started with a string of texts that regularly required the victim to transfer into the scammer’s electronic account between October 2019 and March 2020.
The victim was under the pretext that the bogus Belgian would not be allowed to leave Dubai unless she paid. The victim had sent almost $931,000, as per the Plea.
The victim sent cash and cashier’s checks through FedEx to Oladimeji’s co-defendant, Olmide Akrinmade, aged 37, Texas, home as per the Plea.
Oladimeji confessed that he had recruited Akrinmade and another Texas resident Adewale, to work for him by receiving funds on his behalf and paying them their money cut.
Of the total money sent by the victim, Oladimeji confessed to receiving $314,000 in Texas. At the same time, the lion’s share went to other scammers in Nigeria and the United States, the Plea continued.
When Oladimeji arrived back in the United States following a trip to Nigeria, the deception was discovered. The Homeland Security Investigations agent apprehended him when the agents inspected Oladimeji’s two phones. They discovered a string of text messages to his victim.
Oladimeji faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years of incarceration for each count of crime committed for which he pleaded guilty. In addition, a fine of $250,000 or both may be charged.
On March 23, Oladmeji is scheduled to serve his sentence.
He could face deportation and also be ordered to repay the money.
Akrinmade’s case is still pending in court. However, as per the press release, he has pleaded not guilty to four counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy of committing mail fraud and wire fraud.
Adesanya pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in Dallas in April and was sentenced to serve four years of incarceration in September.
He was ordered to repay $1.5 million that he swindled through various frauds.
