MINNEAPOLIS – The feds have thrown the book at two con artists, Solomon Eghosa Wilfred and Dodzi Kwame Kordorwu, who are accused of swindling elderly victims out of millions through online romance fraud.
In a stunning turn of events, both men were hit with separate indictments by a federal grand jury for their roles in the elaborate schemes. According to court documents, Wilfred, 42, of Coon Rapids, and Kordorwu, 36, of Brooklyn Park, used fake personas to weave a web of deceit that involved romantic entanglements and requests for cash.
The duo didn’t just stop at chatting up their targets online; they went so far as to mail cards and rings to victims across state lines, building trust before extracting more substantial sums. Wilfred is charged with seven counts of mail fraud, while Kordorwu faces eight, illustrating the scale of the operations.
Wilfred’s scheme was particularly brazen. He received over 400 packages containing in excess of $1.2 million between June 2020 and March 2021. Meanwhile, Kordorwu pocketed more than $2.3 million from electronic fund transfers and victim mailings between May 2018 and June 2022.
But it wasn’t just money that the defendants were after; they sought to exploit the vulnerability of their elderly victims. The indictment reveals how they introduced intermediaries, posing as assistants or officials, to help facilitate the fraudulent transactions and keep the victims ensnared in the scam.
This case is a stark reminder of the dangers posed by cybercriminals who prey on the most vulnerable among us. The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and a Digital Forensic Investigator with Hennepin County. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan L. Sing and Robert M. Lewis are now tasked with bringing these scammers to justice.
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Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Cybercrime|Elder Abuse
- Source: Official Source ↗
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