Date: October 13, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov COLUMBUS, OH — A Canal Winchester man who was found guilty of 35 counts of money laundering crimes following a jury trial in May was sentenced today in federal court to 60 months in prison. Seth Nyamekye was also ordered to pay more than $1.3 million in restitution to the victims of the romance fraud. Nyamekye was convicted for his role in laundering the proceeds of online romance scams. "This defendant helped fraudsters prey on vulnerable peoples' desires for love and connection," said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. "Nyamekye conducted financial transactions to conceal that money was generated by fraud and to get the money to co-conspirators in Ghana. He deserves the sentence he received today." According to court documents and trial testimony, the perpetrators of the romance scams created several profiles on online dating sites and then contacted men and women throughout the United States and elsewhere. The scammers cultivated a sense of affection and, often, romance, with the victims they met online before requesting money for investment or need-based reasons. The romance scam perpetrators then provided victims with bank account information where the money should be sent. Nyamekye controlled one of these accounts and received more than $1.3 million in romance fraud proceeds from victims. Nyamekye was not charged with defrauding the victims himself, but instead was charged with laundering the proceeds of the romance fraud. The government proved beyond a reasonable doubt at trial that Nyamekye laundered the victims' money on behalf of the conspiracy. The defendant conspired with others from at least June 2016 until February 2018 to commit money laundering in multiple transactions of more than $10,000 with the purpose of concealing the fraudulent nature of the proceeds. At least eight victims sent their money directly to Nyamekye's bank account, which was in the name of Gloseth Ventures LLC. For example, one victim was defrauded by a purported member of the military and sent a $170,000 wire transfer to Nyamekye's bank account. Another victim fell in love with a man he met online who also claimed to be in the military overseas and sent two wire transfers to Nyamekye totaling $73,000. A separate victim believed she was engaged to the man who was scamming her and sent $50,000 to the defendant's bank account. After the funds were deposited into Nyamekye's bank account, Nyamekye took a cut of the victims' money and then conducted financial transactions to move the funds where the perpetrators of the romance fraud could enjoy the criminal proceeds. Nyamekye was charged by a criminal complaint in October 2020 and was later indicted in May 2021. If you believe you are the victim of an online romance scam, you can file a complaint at ic3.gov. Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Cincinnati Field Office, announced the verdict. Assistant United States Attorneys Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and David J. Twombly represented the United States in this case.
