Victor Oyewumi Oloyede, 42, of Laurel, Maryland, is behind bars for 234 months after being convicted in a ruthless online dating scam that bled millions from vulnerable victims across the country. U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm handed down the sentence, which includes four years of supervised release, and ordered Oloyede to forfeit and pay restitution totaling $1,641,959.74. The judgment follows a 17-day trial that laid bare a cold, methodical fraud operation stretching from January 2011 to May 18, 2015.
Oloyede and three co-conspirators—Gbenga Benson Ogundele, 58, of Laurel; Babatunde Emmanuel Popoola, 34, of Bowie; and Mojisola Tinuola Popoola, 42, also of Laurel—used fake romantic relationships to manipulate victims into sending cash. Posing as lovers in need, they spun tales of medical emergencies, overseas business troubles, and travel expenses. Communication flowed through calls, emails, texts, and online chat platforms, building false intimacy before striking for money. Payments ranged from $1,720 to $50,000, funneled into so-called “drop accounts” opened specifically to launder the stolen funds.
The con didn’t stop at emotional manipulation. Oloyede and his crew weaponized personal data—names, bank account numbers, even driver’s licenses—to deepen the fraud. Victims unknowingly fed a machine designed to strip them of savings under the guise of love. Once money hit the drop accounts, the crew moved fast: transfers between shell accounts, cashier’s checks, and third-party payments masked the trail. The goal was clear—hide the cash, keep the scam running.
The convictions came November 18, 2016, after federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, led by Rod J. Rosenstein, teamed with FBI Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson to dismantle the ring. The FBI’s investigation revealed a network rooted in Maryland but casting a nationwide net, exploiting loneliness with surgical precision. Oloyede’s sentencing marks a major win—but not the end. Sentencing for Babatunde Popoola is set for February 22, 2017; Ogundele and Mojisola Popoola face justice March 22, 2017.
This case is a stark example of what the Maryland Identity Theft Working Group fights daily. Formed in 2006, the interagency coalition brings together local, state, and federal investigators to track down identity thieves and hold them accountable. By linking banks, businesses, and prosecutors, they’ve turned isolated scams into high-profile prosecutions. Oloyede’s takedown wasn’t luck—it was coordination.
The effort falls under the umbrella of the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, a sprawling alliance of over 20 federal agencies and 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices. Since its inception, the task force has sharpened the government’s response to complex financial crimes. With scams like Oloyede’s growing in sophistication, federal muscle is no longer optional—it’s essential to protect the public from predators hiding behind screens and sweet words.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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