A Nigerian citizen has pleaded guilty in the United States to charges connected to a years-long romance scam that defrauded several American citizens of more than $400,000.

The U.S. Attorney?s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana announced that Daniel Chima Inweregbu, 40, of Lagos, Nigeria, entered his plea on August 21 before U.S. District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown.

Inweregbu admitted guilt to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and the use of an assumed name, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering.

According to court documents, Inweregbu and his co-conspirators operated the scheme between July 2017 and December 2018. They created false profiles on social media and dating sites under the name ?Larry Pham,? posing as a middle-aged man to target women in the United States.

Using messaging platforms and email, they built relationships with victims, eventually persuading them to send money under false pretenses.

The funds were deposited into U.S. bank accounts controlled by the conspirators and later laundered through various financial transactions designed to obscure their origins.

Prosecutors said the scheme resulted in actual and intended losses of more than $405,000.

Inweregbu faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count, along with supervised release terms and fines of up to $250,000 for conspiracy to commit fraud and $500,000 for conspiracy to launder money.

He is also subject to a mandatory $100 special assessment per count. Sentencing is scheduled for December 4, 2025, before Judge Brown.

Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson credited the Federal Bureau of Investigation with leading the investigation and acknowledged support from the U.S. Department of Justice?s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Department of State. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, is overseeing the prosecution. (The Guardian)

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