Fola Alabi, Online Romance Scam, Rhode Island 2023

PROVIDENCE – Fola Alabi, a 52-year-old man from Richmond, Texas, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Providence to charges of conspiracy and money laundering, admitting to a federal judge that he created companies and opened bank accounts that were used to launder more than $1.6 million in proceeds bilked from seniors in at least eleven states, including Rhode Island, in online romance scams.

According to court documents, Alabi, aka Folayemi Alabi, carried out these schemes by befriending unsuspecting seniors online, often posing as a General in the U.S. military serving overseas. He feigned a personal, and sometimes romantic, interest in his victims, and convinced them to send substantial sums of money, usually in the form of bank checks or cash, to addresses and companies in Texas that were controlled by Alabi.

Among Alabi’s victims is a Rhode Island widow who was contacted by a member of the conspiracy claiming to be a ‘General Miller,’ purportedly a four-star General, who convinced the victim to provide $60,000 to finance shipment of his personal belongings to the United States. At the purported ‘General Miller’s’ direction, a check was made payable to Full Circle Import Exports, a company created by Alabi, and mailed to Alabi’s residence in Texas.

According to a plea agreement filed in this matter, for purposes of sentencing, the loss attributed to the romance scams perpetrated by Alabi and members of the conspiracy is $1,640,421. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Alabi will forfeit assets derived from his criminal conduct, to include his Texas residence and $31,773.22 contained in a bank account.

Alabi is scheduled to be sentenced on April 25, 2023. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ly T. Chin and Sara Bloom. The matter was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, FBI, United States Secret Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.

United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha thanks the Westerly, RI, and Prescott Valley, AZ, Police Departments; Texas Department of Public Safety; West Virginia State Police; the Santa Clara, CA, County District Attorney’s Office; and Defense Criminal Investigative Service for their assistance in the investigation of this matter.

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