Hammed Akande, Mail and Wire Fraud, Missouri 2024
A St. Louis man was sentenced to 63 months in prison for his role in a romance scam targeting 24 elderly residents of Missouri and other states.
Hammed Akande, 30, pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
According to court documents, Akande began serving as a 'money mule' in the romance scam in 2017, receiving mailings containing money and electronic devices sent from the victims to residential addresses he controlled in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Akande then forwarded a portion of the funds and merchandise he received to other members of the romance scam conspiracy who resided within the United States and abroad.
Akande also played a significant role in the scheme by proofreading messages that his Nigerian co-conspirators were sending to the victims living in the United States.
The victims were over the age of 60, with three reporting experiencing substantial financial hardship and four having aggregate losses of $574,123.45.
Akande learned of a criminal investigation being conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and relayed the information to a co-conspirator, who contacted a victim to tell them not to speak with law enforcement.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated this case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry handling the case for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The Eastern District of Missouri Identity Theft Task Force, a group of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, worked together to combat identity theft and its related crimes across the St. Louis community.
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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