An individual in the Lakes Region was defrauded of over $27,00 in a Romance Fraud Scheme.

The full release below is from the United States Attorney's Office Western District of Missouri: 

A Georgia man was sentenced in federal court for his role in an online romance scam with elderly victims in Missouri, Minnesota, and New Jersey.

Badetito O. Obafemi, 42, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 24 months in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Obafemi to three years of supervised release following incarceration and ordered him to pay restitution of $311,520 to the victims of his crime.

On April 18, 2024, Obafemi pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Obafemi admitted to his participation in a romance scam which targeted victims in Taney County, Mo., Northfield, Minn., and Bergen County, N.J., from June 2016 through at least March 2018.

The perpetrators of the romance scams used online communications to develop relationships with the victims. The scammers then began to request money from the victims for a variety of reasons, including business expenses, medical expenses, travel expenses, and food.

According to court records, the Taney County victim was contacted via Facebook by an individual claiming to be “Kevin Condon” in May 2016. Following several conversations by email, phone, and Facebook, “Condon” convinced the victim to send him money for expenses related to his overseas business project and various medical issues. Conspirators stole a total of $27,460 from the Taney County victim. “Condon” also attempted to convince the victim to deposit $40,000 into an account controlled by Obafemi, purportedly to pay a court in South Africa for his release from jail.

Obafemi conspired with the perpetrators to receive wire transfers from the victims, coordinating the necessary bank account information, the timing of transfers, and the transfer of funds across accounts. Obafemi received funds in his personal accounts as well as those of two businesses, EasyTickets, LLC, and Goeasy Logistics, LLC, which he owned and operated out of his Georgia residence.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the Northfield, Minn., Police Department.

Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice. Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its elder fraud enforcement efforts may be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).