Adetomiwa Seun Akindele, a 37-year-old Nigerian national who had been living in Minnesota before his arrest, has been sentenced to 71 months in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering. He was also ordered to pay $1,692,945 in restitution and faces a forfeiture money judgment of the same amount. After completing his sentence, Akindele will be deported to Nigeria.
According to court documents, between January and October 2018, Akindele posed as “Frank Labato,” a wealthy Italian American businessman on a dating website. He established contact with a widowed woman from Colorado in February 2018 through email and later by phone. During their communications, he provided her with fabricated details about his identity and work background, supported by images and photos.
In March 2018, Akindele claimed he faced a financial crisis related to his supposed business activities abroad and requested financial assistance from the victim. At his direction, she opened a cryptocurrency exchange account and ultimately wired over $1.6 million as instructed by Akindele. The funds were then converted into various cryptocurrencies, laundered across multiple exchanges, converted back into U.S. dollars, and deposited into accounts controlled by Akindele. He assured the victim that these were loans for his business needs and executed three fraudulent promissory notes promising repayment.
United States Attorney Peter McNeilly stated: “This sentence both serves justice to the victim and helps prevent this individual from scamming someone else. This case should be a reminder to the public to be cautious when engaging with people they meet online – especially when those people are asking for money.”
FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek commented: “Romance scammers are relentless and cunning, preying on trust and emotion to exploit victims. This was an egregious case, and through relentless investigative work the perpetrator was tracked down and brought to justice.”
The sentencing was overseen by United States District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney.
The FBI Denver Field Office led the investigation while Assistant United States Attorney Martha A. Paluch prosecuted the case.
Case number: 22-cr-00326-CNS
