A United States federal court has sentenced a Nigerian, Adetomiwa Seun Akindele, to 71 months in prison for defrauding a Colorado woman of more than $1.6 million in a romance scam.
The sentence was delivered by Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney of the District of Colorado.
Akindele, 37, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
He was also ordered to pay $1,692,945 in restitution and forfeit the same amount. After serving his jail term, he will be deported to Nigeria.
Court filings show that between January and October 2018, Akindele used the alias “Frank Labato,” posing as a wealthy Italian-American businessman on a dating website.
He developed an online relationship with a widowed woman and convinced her to transfer large sums of money, claiming he faced urgent business problems overseas.
Investigators said the victim wired more than $1.6 million to accounts controlled by Akindele.
READ ALSO: Nigerian Jailed in U.S. for $6m Inheritance Fraud Scheme
The funds were converted to cryptocurrency, moved through several exchanges, and later deposited back into his bank accounts.
To reassure the woman, he issued three fraudulent promissory notes promising repayment.
U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly said the ruling delivered justice to the victim and would help prevent similar crimes.
FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek described the case as “egregious,” warning that romance scams exploit emotions and trust to steal money.
The FBI Denver Field Office led the investigation, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Martha A. Paluch prosecuted the case, which was filed under case number 22-cr-00326-CNS.