A Phoenix, Arizona man is going to prison for a multi-million dollar romance and money laundering scheme.
Romance Scam Turns into Millions in Losses
Kingsley Ibhadore, a 37-year-old US resident and Nigerian citizen, conned multiple women into sending him large sums of money through online relationships. Victims sent checks ranging from $30,000 to $200,000, believing they were in genuine romantic relationships with Ibhadore. In total, he defrauded his victims of nearly $3 million.
Laundering the Loot
To avoid detection, Ibhadore opened 24 bank accounts at major banks – Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, and BBVA – using fake passports and aliases. He used names like Barry Bhoye, Celestin Cheick, Simone Diakite, and Celestin Emmanuel to deposit the stolen funds. He carefully withdrew money in amounts below the federal reporting thresholds.
Caught and Convicted
U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Scott Windish stated that a total of $2.95 million was stolen. Ibhadore pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and received a 17-month prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release.