Olumide Olorunfunmi and Emmanuel Unuigbe, two Nigerian-born men, have been sentenced to 30 months in prison over fraud in the United States.
Both men will also serve three years of supervised release and have been ordered to pay more than $4.6 million in restitution.
The announcement was made by Russ Ferguson and James C. Barnacle Jr..
According to court documents, from 2020 through 2023, Olumide Olorunfunmi and Emmanuel Unuigbe conspired with others to launder proceeds from “various illegal activities, including romance scams that typically targeted elderly victims and business email compromise schemes.”
Victims were instructed to transfer money into domestic and international bank accounts controlled by the duo and their co-conspirators.
After receiving the illicit funds, the two men and their associates moved the money through multiple bank accounts in the U.S. and abroad.
Court records indicate the scheme involved more than 125 victims, resulting in the transfer of over $4.5 million in criminal proceeds.
Prosecutors also said the men profited by transferring Nigerian naira from accounts in Nigeria to cover deposits in the United States, using a black-market exchange rate to convert U.S. dollars to naira.
Olorunfunmi and Unuigbe had previously pleaded guilty to the charges.
Another individual involved in the case, Samson Amos, was sentenced for conspiring to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business. He received five years of probation, including six months of home confinement, and was also ordered to pay restitution.
In announcing the sentencing, Ferguson praised the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, saying:
“We are grateful for the diligent work of the FBI in uncovering and bringing these schemes to justice.”
The case was prosecuted by Daniel Ryan from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina in Charlotte.
