Two US-Based Nigerians Face 40-Year Sentence for $560,000 Romance Scam

Two Nigerians, Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, are set to face a combined 40-year jail term after being convicted in a romance scam that defrauded a victim of $560,000.

The U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez and FBI Special Agent Raul Bujanda, in a statement from the Department of Justice, confirmed that the duo were found guilty following a four-day trial and less than three hours of jury deliberation.

The scam, which began in January 2016, involved the creation of a fake persona named “Glenn Brown” on the dating platform eHarmony.com. Using this fictitious profile, the perpetrators targeted a victim in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and manipulated them into believing they were funding a construction project in Malaysia.

Between January 2016 and April 2017, the victim transferred approximately $560,000 to various accounts in the United States, Canada, and Malaysia, under the impression they were helping “Glenn Brown” return to the United States safely.

One instance occurred on September 27, 2016, when the victim wired $28,000 to an account under “Daramola Cars.” Daramola then redirected $18,000 to a seafood importer in Denmark and wrote a $14,000 check. Despite his denials, evidence—including WhatsApp and text messages found on his phone—showed Daramola’s involvement in providing bank accounts for fraudulent schemes.

Ogunlaja’s role involved using his Bank of America account to receive fraudulent deposits. In March 2016, the victim was instructed to deposit $20,000 into Ogunlaja’s account on two occasions. Ogunlaja subsequently made withdrawals and transferred funds to Daramola’s account.

Although the court has not scheduled sentencing, both Ogunlaja and Daramola could face up to 20 years in prison each, with no option for parole. They remain on conditional release pending sentencing.