By Charles Pemu 
DENVER, COLORADO – A Nigerian man, Adetomiwa Seun Akindele, has been sentenced to 71 months in federal prison for his role in a romance scam that defrauded a Colorado widow of over $1.6 million. In addition to the prison sentence, a U.S. District Judge has ordered Akindele to pay back the full amount, and he will be deported to Nigeria upon his release.
Akindele admitted to creating a fake online identity, “Frank Labato,” a wealthy Italian American businessman, to target his victim on a dating site. He built trust with the woman over several months before claiming to be in a financial crisis. He then convinced her to wire the money through a cryptocurrency account, which he quickly laundered into his own accounts.
The FBI’s relentless investigation led to Akindele’s capture and prosecution. Authorities have warned the public to be extremely cautious when people they meet online ask for money, noting that romance scammers often prey on trust and emotion.