AUBREY, Texas — An Aubrey woman was convicted Thursday on charges related to defrauding elderly victims in romance schemes, officials announced.
A jury convicted Ijeoma Okoro, 33, of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering after seven days of trial and 10 hours of deliberation, officials say.
“I am so proud of the federal agents and our office’s prosecutors in this case, who worked diligently to hold the defendants accountable for conspiring to defraud these innocent victims of money and then conspiring to launder that money,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton in a statement. “Such schemes are especially despicable because the perpetrators prey on the emotions of the people they are victimizing. Our U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively seek to bring such criminals to justice.”
“Ms. Okoro and her coconspirators stole money from retirement accounts, pensions and other sources as part of several romance scams,” said Christopher J. Altemus Jr., special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, in a statement. “These individuals preyed on unsuspecting women and men, gaining their trust and confidence, in order to ultimately empty their bank accounts. This verdict should send a clear message to those who would consider conducting or participating in these types of fraudulent financial schemes.”
The scheme involved using fake names on dating sites like Match.com and Zoosk, then creating stories to convince people to send money, according to evidence presented at trial, officials say. Prosecutors say Okoro took a portion of the money and distributed the rest of the proceeds to co-conspirators.
Okoro faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the wire fraud conspiracy count, up to 10 years in federal prison on the money laundering conspiracy count and an order to repay the victims' losses, officials say.
