An Atlanta man will spend just over ten-years in federal prison for using a romance scam to bilk older women out of millions of dollars.
A judge in U.S. District Court in Providence sentenced Wisdom Onyobeno after hearing from the victims and Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Barton who called him an "unrepentant con man."
Onyobeno and his co-conspirators created false personas online to befriend and target elderly widows and divorcees.
“To those who believe that they can help themselves to the hard-earned savings of Rhode Islanders through deception and fraud, wherever you are, know that we will find you and bring you to justice,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “And to members of the public– I implore you- be skeptical of requests for funds from anyone you don’t know well, and take steps to protect yourself.”
“Wisdom Onyobeno preyed on the vulnerable causing not only significant financial losses but unmeasurable emotional damage,” said Ketty D. Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. “Postal Inspectors, working with our partners, will continue to target these predators and bring them to justice.”
They would then convince their victims to send money for help with a personal crisis or urgent financial situation.
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