A 46-year-old Nigerian man, Darlington Akporugo, and his 35-year-old fiancée, Jasmin Sood, have been arrested for fraud in Houston, Texas. The couple, who were supposed to get married tomorrow, May 25, are accused of mail and wire fraud amounting to $3.123 million. Their wedding has been called off.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security alleges that Akporugo and Sood targeted elderly victims, often widowed, through social networking and internet dating platforms. They communicated with victims via email, text messages, and telephone to gain their trust. Once trust was established, they deceived the victims into transferring large sums of money to bank accounts they controlled.
U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced that Akporugo, who resided in Fulshear, Texas, conspired with Sood to defraud over a dozen elderly Americans. Akporugo is set to appear in court for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison.
Between 2015 and 2022, the couple used fake personas to contact elderly victims online. According to the indictment, they met at least one victim in person in the Houston area, driving her to banks to send money and gaining control of her banking access devices.
The indictment also charges Akporugo with aggravated identity theft and fraud in connection with an access device. The scheme allegedly defrauded 13 victims of approximately $3,123,073. A notice of forfeiture for all illegally derived proceeds is included in the indictment.
If convicted, Akporugo and Sood face up to 30 years in prison for each wire fraud count and conspiracy. Akporugo faces an additional 10 years for fraud in connection with an access device and another mandatory two years for aggravated identity theft.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Grace Murphy is prosecuting the case.
Oreoluwa is an accountant and a brand writer with a flair for journalism.
