Nicole Dibba, Romance Scam, New York 2018

Grimy Times Exclusive

A Georgia woman has been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a romance scam.

Nicole Dibba, 32, of Marietta, Georgia, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

According to the complaint, in May 2018, Victim 1 began communicating online, via Instagram, with a person purporting to be Richard Edvin. Edvin is an identity used by an unknown member of the conspiracy to engage in romantic and intimate online and telephonic relationships with potential victims.

Edvin created a false background story for himself in order to manipulate Victim 1 and to gain Victim 1’s trust. He told Victim 1 that he was located in Oregon but that he was going to be traveling out of the country for approximately two months to bring an oil rig off the coast of China back online.

The defendant Nicole Dibba, aka Nicole Fountain, opened a bank account at SunTrust Bank in the name of Stoich Investments, LLC. The defendant was the only authorized signatory on the account. On June 19, 2018, Victim 1, at the direction of Edvin, wire transferred $40,000 from Victim 1’s account at M&T Bank in the state of New York to the bank account controlled by defendant at SunTrust Bank.

Between December 27, 2017, and November 30, 2018, more than $723,000 was deposited into the SunTrust Bank account. The investigation has determined that the vast majority of the deposits were from individuals, or entities associated with individuals, who were the victims of a romance fraud scheme or other similar schemes to defraud. The defendant has withdrawn in excess of $232,000 in cash from that account.

In total, Victim 1 sent seven wire transfers between June 6 and August 29, 2018, totaling $216,500. In addition to the seven wire transfers, between June 6 and November 13, 2018, Edvin persuaded and directed Victim 1 to send funds and goods such as iTunes gift cards, a computer, speakers, headphones, and an Apple watch, all valued at more than $34,000, to members of the conspiracy. The total loss to Victim 1 was more than $250,000.

“This sort of online deception destroys not only victim’s hearts but their wallets,” noted U.S. Attorney Kennedy. “In our increasingly screen-addicted world, I see these sorts of scams proliferating in the future. People need to recognize that in the virtual world things are not always as they seem.

The investigation has been ongoing, and the defendant Nicole Dibba, aka Nicole Fountain, is currently being held without bail. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, who stated that the defendant could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

For more information, contact Barbara Burns at (716) 843-5817 or [bburns@grimytimes.com](mailto:bburns@grimytimes.com)

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdny/pr/georgia-woman-arrested-charged-her-role-romance-scheme