Two Nigerian nationals, Chinagorom Onwumere and Stephen Anagor, have been sentenced to over 13 years in prison for their involvement in a romance scam and wire fraud scheme that ultimately led to the tragic death of an elderly American citizen.
Judge Clifton L. Corker of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville delivered the sentences on Wednesday, after the pair and their associate, Salma Abdalkareem, a 29-year-old Sudanese national, were convicted for their roles in the extensive fraud operation.
Onwumere, aged 36, was sentenced to 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. His associate, Anagor, 37, received a nine-year sentence for his involvement in the scheme, which included charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), Onwumere and Anagor, both of whom had met during military training in South Carolina in June 2023, were recruited to assist a relative in Nigeria who was masterminding the fraud. Court filings revealed that Anagor initially recruited Onwumere and Abdalkareem to participate in the scam targeting elderly Americans across the U.S.
The fraudulent operation involved a complex romance scam where victims—primarily older adults—were deceived into believing they were in online relationships with high-profile celebrities. These “relationships” were then used as a pretext to extort significant sums of money from the victims.
The conspirators went to great lengths to manipulate their victims, creating elaborate stories about taxes on luxury vehicles, background investigation fees, and membership fees that would supposedly grant victims exclusive access to the celebrities. In some cases, victims were falsely informed that the fraudsters were affiliated with federal law enforcement and pressured into paying fees to halt non-existent investigations.
The scheme took a tragic turn when one of the victims, a vulnerable elderly person, died as a result of the stress and pressure imposed by the fraudsters’ relentless demands.
Both Onwumere and Anagor are required to serve five years of supervised release after completing their prison terms. In addition to their sentences, the two men must collectively pay $388,500 in restitution to the victims of their crimes.
The case adds to the growing list of Nigerians implicated in high-profile international fraud schemes, particularly those involving romance scams and online financial exploitation. The DoJ has made it clear that these types of crimes, which prey on vulnerable individuals, will be met with serious legal consequences.
This sentencing serves as a stark reminder of the global reach of such scams and the devastating impact they can have on the lives of unsuspecting victims. The investigation continues, and authorities are urging anyone who suspects they may have fallen victim to similar fraud schemes to come forward.
For now, the convicted fraudsters will serve their time in U.S. federal prisons, and their involvement in a scheme that has now claimed one life is a somber reminder of the scale and brutality of online scams.