Two Nigerians Convicted Of $560,000 Romance Scam Face 20 Years In U.S. Prison

Two Nigerian nationals, Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, face up to 20 years in a United States prison after being convicted by a federal jury of orchestrating a $560,000 romance scam.

According to a statement released Monday by U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez and FBI Special Agent Raul Bujanda, the Department of Justice revealed the pair’s conviction following a four-day trial and under three hours of jury deliberation.

The scheme, which began in January 2016, involved the creation of a fraudulent identity, “Glenn Brown,” on the dating platform eHarmony.com. Prosecutors said the fake profile was used to establish a romantic relationship with a victim in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who was manipulated into sending money.

The victim was deceived into believing their financial assistance was needed for “Glenn Brown” to complete a construction project in Malaysia and return to the U.S. Between January 2016 and April 2017, the victim sent approximately $560,000 to accounts in the U.S., Canada, and Malaysia.

On September 27, 2016, $28,000 was wired to a Woodforest Bank account under “Daramola Cars” at the fraudster’s instruction. Daramola then wired $18,000 to a seafood importer in Denmark and issued a $14,000 check.

Although Daramola denied involvement, investigators uncovered incriminating text and WhatsApp messages showing he supplied bank accounts for fraudulent schemes. Ogunlaja also played a role, using his Bank of America account to receive funds. In March 2016, the victim deposited $20,000 in cash into Ogunlaja’s account as directed by the scammer. Ogunlaja later withdrew the funds and transferred them to Daramola’s account.

This case follows another romance scam involving Nigerians Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, who were sentenced in November 2024 to a combined 30 years in prison for defrauding U.S. citizens of $3.5 million.