Two Nigerian nationals, Chinagorom Onwumere and Stephen Anagor, have been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison in the United States for their roles in a romance scam and wire fraud scheme that contributed to the death of an elderly American victim.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), the sentencing was delivered by Judge Clifton L. Corker of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, based in Greeneville.
Their co-conspirator, 29-year-old Sudanese national Salma Abdalkareem, was also sentenced for her involvement.
Onwumere, 36, received four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aiding and abetting aggravated stalking resulting in death, and aiding and abetting money laundering.
Anagor, 37, was handed a nine-year prison term after being convicted on charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aiding and abetting money laundering, among others.
Court filings revealed that Anagor and Onwumere met during military training in South Carolina in June 2023.
Anagor later recruited Onwumere and his wife, Abdalkareem, to help a relative in Nigeria execute an elaborate romance scam targeting elderly victims across the United States.
The criminal network operated by impersonating well-known celebrities online, deceiving victims into believing they were engaged in romantic relationships with high-profile figures.
Once trust was established, the scammers pressured victims into sending money under various false pretences.
“Members of the conspiracy would then engage in various devices to obtain money from the victims, such as the need for help with taxes on luxury vehicles, background investigation fees needed for employment, membership fees that would permit unique access to the celebrities, etc,” the DoJ explained.
In several instances, victims were also falsely told that the scammers were federal law enforcement officers and needed to pay fees or fines to halt fictitious investigations involving the supposed celebrities or their management.
In addition to their prison sentences, Onwumere and Anagor will serve five years of supervised release.
They are also required to repay $388,500 in restitution to their victims.
Their sentencing adds to the growing list of Nigerians convicted abroad for large-scale fraud schemes targeting individuals and institutions.