TWO NIGERIANS JAILED IN U.S. AFTER ROMANCE SCAM LEADS TO DEATH OF ELDERLY VICTIM

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

Two Nigerians, Chinagorom Onwumere and Stephen Anagor, have been sentenced to a combined 13 years in prison in the United States for their roles in a romance scam and wire fraud scheme that contributed to the death of an elderly American woman.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the convictions on Wednesday, following a ruling by Judge Clifton L. Corker of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville.

Onwumere, 36, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aiding and abetting aggravated stalking resulting in death, and aiding and abetting money laundering. His associate, Anagor, received a longer sentence, though the Justice Department did not specify the exact term in the statement.

Court filings show that Anagor and Onwumere met while undergoing military training in South Carolina in June 2023. Anagor later recruited Onwumere and his wife, 29-year-old Sudanese national Salma Abdalkareem, to join a romance fraud ring run by a relative in Nigeria.

According to investigators, the Nigerian-based ringleader posed online as several high-profile celebrities to deceive victims primarily elderly Americans into believing they were in romantic relationships with famous personalities.

Once trust was established, the conspirators exploited their victims financially, demanding money for fictitious expenses such as taxes on luxury cars, background checks for job offers, or exclusive membership fees. Some victims were falsely told the scammers were federal agents who needed payment to stop supposed investigations involving the celebrities.

The tragic scheme contributed to the death of at least one elderly victim who became overwhelmed by the harassment and financial pressure, prosecutors said.

Onwumere and Anagor were also ordered to pay $388,500 in restitution and will serve five years of supervised release after completing their prison terms.

The case adds to a growing list of high-profile international fraud prosecutions involving Nigerian nationals in recent years.