Two Nigerian Nationals Convicted in U.S. for $560,000 Romance Scam, Facing 40-Year Prison Sentence.
The Department of Justice said in a statement on Monday, 1 6, 2025, that two Nigerian nationals, Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, each face up to 20 years in a U.S. prison after a federal jury found them guilty of masterminding a $560,000 international romance scam.
“Following a four-day trial and less than three hours of deliberation, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict against two Nigerian nationals who participated in an international romance scheme,” the statement read.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the scheme, which began in January 2016, involved the creation of a fictitious persona named “Glenn Brown” on the dating website eHarmony.com. Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, both Nigerian nationals, worked with another individual who used this fake profile to initiate a romantic relationship with a victim in Albuquerque, New Mexico and subsequently request money from them.
Throughout the hoax, the victim was tricked into believing that “Glenn Brown” required their money to complete a fake construction project in Malaysia and return safely to the United States.
The victim moved over $560,000 to various accounts in the US, Canada, and Malaysia between January 2016 and April 2017.
On September 27, 2016, the victim sent roughly $28,000 to a Woodforest Bank account under the name Daramola Cars, as directed by the fraudulent “Glenn Brown” persona. Daramola then wired $18,000 to a Danish seafood dealer and issued a cheque for $14,000.
Although Daramola denied knowing about the romance scam, the FBI’s investigation turned up a lot of evidence, including WhatsApp and text messages on his phone, that showed Daramola was supplying bank accounts for other fraud schemes, including romance scams.
One aspect of Ogunlaja’s involvement was the unauthorised receipt of funds from his Bank of America account.
In particular, “Glenn Brown” gave the victim instructions to put $20,000 into Ogunlaja’s account on March 9 and March 15, 2016.
Ogunlaja made several cash withdrawals and transfers to Daramola’s account after these deposits. Ogunlaja and Daramola were placed on terms of release by the court after the verdict, pending the date of sentencing, which has not yet been set.
Ogunlaja and Daramola might each receive a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The federal system does not have parole.
The statement was made on Tuesday, January 7 by FBI Albuquerque Field Office Special Agent in Charge Raul Bujanda and U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez. While Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Peña is prosecuting the case, the FBI Albuquerque Field Office conducted the investigation.
