BOSTON – In a major blow to romance scammers, Chukwunonso ‘Douglas’ Umegbo, a/k/a James Abbott, a/k/a Michael Philips, a/k/a Richard Armani, 39, formerly of New Bedford, Mass., was sentenced to more than three years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering charges involving funds obtained from ‘romance scam’ victims.
Umegbo used fake identity documents to open bank accounts in the greater Boston area, which he used to receive more than $568,000 from at least 45 romance scam victims. Among them was a senior who fell victim to the scheme following the loss of her husband of 57 years and lost her car, house and retirement savings to the fraud scam.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy recognized the District of Massachusetts’ ongoing commitment to protect older Americans in the fight against elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation in observation of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD).
“Millions of adults aged 60 and older become victims of abuse every year – with nearly one in 10 annually experiencing some form of elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Levy. “Protecting seniors from abuse and exploitation is one of our top priorities. Our office has successfully prosecuted a number of individuals in recent years who have preyed on this vulnerable population through financial scams. We remain relentless in this fight for elder justice, and we will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement and community partners to hold people accountable for such misconduct and recover stolen funds whenever possible.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts has developed an Elder Justice Outreach Prevention Program aimed at bringing awareness, education, and resources to older adults across Massachusetts in partnership with local police departments and older adult centers.
A team made up of members from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the IRS, and USPIS who travel across the state, educating older adults about heightened awareness in the areas of online scams; romance scams; contractor scams; and telemarketing scams, to name a few.
Yesterday, Acting U.S. Attorney Levy spoke to over 500 hundred older adults alongside Bristol County District Attorney Tom Quinn at the Bristol County Celebration of Seniors about important information they need to protect themselves from financial exploitation and how to report elder fraud.
Related Federal Cases
- Massachusetts Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud Scheme · Massachusetts
- Topsfield Attorney John H. Molloy Jr. Sentenced in Tax Fraud Scheme · Massachusetts
- Randolph Man Convicted in Kung Fu Panda Fraud Scheme · Massachusetts
- David Gorski Ordered to Forfeit $6.7M in Veteran Fraud Scheme · Massachusetts
- Lynn Tax Preparer Claudia Carredano Sentenced in $320K Fraud Scheme · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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