Nigerian Man Convicted in Federal Trial of Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracy

WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal jury convicted Saheed Sunday Owolabi, 34, from Nigeria on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in several cyber fraud schemes.

“Fraud schemes like this drain millions from hardworking people in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “We will continue to work with our federal partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute those who abuse the anonymity of the internet to enrich themselves by stealing from our citizens.”

According to court records and trial evidence, Owolabi pretended to be a woman to build online relationships with men in the United States, a scheme known as a romance scam. He and his co-conspirators used these fake relationships to convince victims to send money and personal information. Owolabi and others used bank accounts provided by the victims to launder money from other fraudulent operations. Owolabi joined a scheme that stole and laundered more than $120,000 from a victim in the Eastern District of North Carolina and defrauded hundreds of others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, fraudsters gained unauthorized access to information about a pending home closing and sent spoofed emails instructing the victim to transfer funds to a bank account they controlled. When the victim complied, the money went to accounts linked to Owolabi and his associates. Owolabi then directed others on how to move and distribute the money, including sending portions to himself. Investigators recovered chat messages in which Owolabi admitted he was running a romance scam until he realized he was actually communicating with another fraudster. That individual mocked Owolabi’s efforts and told him to “learn how to do a clean job.”

Owolabi faces up to 40 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release when sentenced in January 2026.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad DeVoe is prosecuting the case, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-CR-137-M.