The wedding of Nigerian man Darlington Akporugo and his fiancée Jasmin Sood, scheduled for May 25 in Houston, USA, has been canceled following their arrest on fraud charges.
The couple from Fulshear was detained in April, accused of conspiring to defraud over a dozen elderly Americans who believed they were in online romantic relationships with Akporugo.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security alleges that 46-year-old Akporugo and 35-year-old Sood committed mail and wire fraud, causing victims to lose $3.123 million.
Investigators claim that between 2015 and 2022, the pair used fake identities to target elderly victims online, often widows. They allegedly used social networking and internet dating platforms, as well as email, text messages, and phone calls, to gain their victims’ trust.
The scammers are accused of convincing their victims to transfer large sums of money to accounts and addresses controlled by Akporugo and Sood. In one instance, they allegedly met a victim in Houston, drove her to banks, and persuaded her to give Akporugo control of her banking access devices.
Akporugo also faces charges of aggravated identity theft and fraud related to an access device. The scheme reportedly defrauded at least 13 victims of approximately $3,123,073.
If convicted, the couple could face up to 30 years in prison for each wire fraud and conspiracy count. Akporugo could face an additional 10 years for access device fraud and a mandatory two years for aggravated identity theft.
Source: instablog9ja
