Romance scam activity has led to the sentencing of a Georgia man, Badetito O. Obafemi, 42, who will serve 24 months in federal prison without parole for participating in an online romance fraud that targeted elderly victims in Missouri, Minnesota, and New Jersey. He was also ordered to pay $311,520 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release following his sentence.
Obafemi pleaded guilty on April 18, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Between June 2016 and March 2018, he worked with others to manipulate victims through romantic deception, gaining their trust through online platforms and then soliciting money under various false pretenses, including medical bills, travel costs, and business expenses.
One notable case involved a victim from Taney County, Missouri, who was contacted via Facebook by someone using the alias “Kevin Condon.” After building a connection through email, phone, and Facebook messages, the scammer convinced the victim to send money, resulting in a loss of $27,460. An additional $40,000 was requested to allegedly pay legal fees in South Africa, with instructions to deposit the money into an account controlled by Obafemi.
Obafemi received and managed funds through personal accounts and accounts tied to his Georgia-based businesses, Easy Tickets, LLC and Go easy Logistics, LLC.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and the Northfield Police Department in Minnesota.