Minnesota Man Admits to Orchestrating Nationwide Romance Scam
Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Minnesota man has confessed to helping to orchestrate a $2.2 million nationwide romance fraud scheme.
The US Attorney for Minnesota says 37-year-old Dodzi Kordorwu of Brooklyn Park entered a guilty plea Thursday to a single count of mail fraud. His sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
According to court documents, Kodorwu "helped facilitate an online romance fraud scheme that targeted primarily elderly victims and lured them into sending money under false pretenses." Federal prosecutors say the operation began in May 2018 and continued through June 2022.
A news release says the scheme "relied on perpetrators impersonating a real or plausible but fictitious person, such as a senior US diplomat or military official, that contacted the victims through online social media applications." After establishing romantic entanglements with the person, the scammers would then request money to overcome a problem or to pursue an opportunity.
Court documents indicate, that in some cases, another participant in the scam would pose as a "third-person intermediary" to corroborate the other scammer's story and help push the victim into making payments. Federal prosecutors say the victims would then be directed to send large sums of money by mail or other means to a specific person and address.
The allegations against Kordorwu alleged he often was that person. The plea agreement says he received over 90 packages from victims that contained more than $2.2 million. The charges stated Kordorwu would keep some of the money and distribute the rest to the other participants in the scam.
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Gallery Credit: Stacker
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