BOSTON – The grim saga of romance scam kingpin Chukwunonso “Douglas” Umegbo, known by aliases such as James Abbott and Michael Philips, reached a new chapter as he was extradited from the United Kingdom. The 37-year-old, once of New Bedford, now faces wire fraud and money laundering charges for an alleged con that defrauded victims out of more than $560,000.
Umegbo was nabbed in London on April 4, 2022, and extradited to the United States on Feb. 10, 2023. His initial court appearance was held on Feb. 13, 2023, with a detention hearing set for March 2, 2023.
Umegbo has been indicted on six counts of making a false statement to a bank, two counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. The charges stem from allegations that Umegbo opened bank accounts in the Boston area using fake IDs between 2018 and 2019. These accounts were used to receive funds obtained through romance scams, where perpetrators develop online relationships with victims before extorting money.
Umegbo is facing stiff penalties for his crimes. The charge of making a false statement to a bank carries up to 30 years in prison, while wire fraud and money laundering both have sentences of up to 20 years. He also faces supervised release and fines totaling millions of dollars.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts and involved multiple federal agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen A. Kearney is prosecuting the case.
As always, the details contained in the charging documents are merely allegations, and Umegbo is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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