Nigerian man in OKC sentenced in romance scam involving Alabama woman
A Nigerian man living in Oklahoma City was sentenced this week to federal prison for committing an online “romance scam” against an Alabama woman.
In Oklahoma City federal court, Abdul Waris Akinsanya, 26, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,650 in restitution.
Authorities said Akinsanya opened an account at City National Bank in May 2020 using a forged passport purportedly from the Republic of Ghana, and the alias of “Mike Wilz Smith.”
They said Akinsanya and co-conspirators tricked a victim from Alabama into sending $2,650 in money orders through the mail.
Akinsanya’s victim in Alabama developed an online relationship with a man she believed to be "Dr. Steven Michael," but which was a false persona, according to court documents. The co-conspirators falsely told the woman Dr. Michael was stuck in Jordan and did not have access to his funds.
The woman obtained roughly $2,650 in Western Union money orders and used FedEx to mail them to Oklahoma, where the money was later deposited in City National Bank, authorities said.
On October 12, 2023, Akinsanya pleaded guilty and admitted to using false names to set up bank accounts in which he deposited money obtained through romance scams, keeping a percentage of the money for his role in the scheme.
The case was similar to one several years ago in which 10 Nigerian men from Norman, Dallas and other cities were charged in a romance scheme to steal money from several elderly women in Oklahoma and across the nation.
That scheme started in 2017, and victims reported losses of $2.5 million, according to The Tulsa World.
The FBI investigation concluded in 2021 in Tulsa federal court with the final suspect being sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay $500,740 in restitution to three victims.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Romance scam from OKC to Alabama lands Nigerian man in federal prison
