By Michael D. Pitman
A 25-year-old man from Fairfield, Ohio, has been sentenced to 6½ years in federal prison for his involvement in a widespread online romance fraud conspiracy that primarily targeted older adults seeking companionship.
De-love Kofi Amuzu, a citizen of Ghana, was sentenced on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati. He had been arrested in January 2022 in the Bronx, New York, and later pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to money laundering. According to federal authorities, Amuzu played a key role in laundering funds from victims of the romance scam.
The scheme, which ran from 2019 to 2022, involved members of the conspiracy creating fake online dating profiles using stolen photos and false identities. They communicated with victims through texts, chats, and phone calls, pretending to be the people in the profiles. Many times, they claimed to live abroad to explain their inability to meet in person.
As the fraud unfolded, Amuzu and his associates instructed victims, who were typically older adults, to send money to accounts controlled by him. Victims were also directed to mail valuable items, such as Rolex watches and iPhones, to Amuzu. Once he received the funds, Amuzu would then launder the money, transferring it to accounts in Ghana. Investigators traced more than $1.1 million in fraud proceeds flowing through Amuzu’s accounts.
Amuzu’s financial operations included using multiple bank accounts, including one opened under a shell company called Obdomdel Management Agency LLC. Authorities found nearly $268,000 was transferred from these accounts to bank accounts in Ghana, part of the operation that defrauded elderly individuals.
The victims, who lost substantial amounts of money, often tens of thousands of dollars, were left financially devastated, with some even forced into bankruptcy. In addition to his sentence, Amuzu was ordered to pay restitution of $835,487.65 to the victims of the scam.
“This case is another reminder of the devastating impact that fraud can have on our most vulnerable citizens,” said Kenneth L. Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. “Romance fraud schemes, in particular, prey on the emotional vulnerability of older adults. Our office will continue to pursue those who target seniors with fraudulent schemes.”
Amuzu’s case was part of the Justice Department’s National Elder Justice Sweep, an initiative aimed at raising awareness about fraudulent schemes targeting elderly individuals. The Justice Department encourages anyone who suspects they or someone they know might be a victim of such a fraud to report it to the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or visit the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative website at www.Justice.gov/elderjustice.
This case serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of online romance scams and the importance of safeguarding personal and financial information when interacting with strangers online.
