Dodzi Kwame Kordorwu, a 38-year-old man from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison last week for orchestrating a nationwide romance fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims. He was also ordered to pay $2.1 million in restitution. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota announced Kordorwu’s conviction, emphasizing the calculated cruelty of his scheme.
Kordorwu, who pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud in December, and his associates preyed on elderly individuals experiencing loneliness, creating fake identities—such as high-ranking U.S. diplomats or military officers—to build trust and initiate romantic connections with their victims. Once trust was established, Kordorwu’s team fabricated emergencies, coaxing the victims to send money to resolve these issues.
The schemers even introduced a fictional “third-party” to corroborate the story, reinforcing the deception. Over the course of the operation, Kordorwu received more than 250 packages with fraud proceeds totaling over $2 million, which he funneled through shell companies and bank accounts to obscure the transactions.
Judge Eric C. Tostrud, who handed down the sentence, condemned Kordorwu’s actions, describing his offense as rooted in “cruelty.” Kordorwu kept a portion of the money and funneled the rest to accomplices, U.S. authorities reported.
