Georgia-based Nigerian conman Badetito Obafemi has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for his involvement in a years-long romance scam that netted him more than $300,000 in illicit money.
U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips sentenced Mr Obafemi to two years’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release following incarceration and ordered him to pay restitution of $311,520 to his victims.
Mr Obafemi’s sentencing came almost a year after the 42-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering following his involvement in fake online relationships targeting vulnerable individuals across many cities in the United States in April 2024.
According to court documents seen by Peoples Gazette, Mr Obafemi admitted to participating in a romance scam by luring his victims into fraudulent relationships before asking for money from them for a variety of reasons, including business, medical and travel expenses and food.
Mr Obafemi acknowledged conspiring with other perpetrators to receive wire transfers from the victims, coordinating the necessary bank account information, the timing of transfers, and the transfer of funds across multiple accounts. Authorities said the crime spree occurred between June 2016 and at least March 2018.
Court documents showed Mr Obafemi received an estimated $311,520 in funds into his accounts and those of two businesses, EasyTickets, LLC, and Goeasy Logistics, LLC, including a lump sum of $27,460 stolen by the convict from a victim based Taney County in New Jersey.
Mr Obafemi reportedly used one of his fake social media profiles, Kevin Condon, to trick the Taney County victim into sending the money to an account he controlled following a false romantic relationship in May 2016.
He also attempted to convince the the victim to deposit another $40,000, purportedly to pay a court in South Africa for his release from jail, but was unsuccessful.
