CURIOUS.- A man of TexasUnited States, who posed as a high-ranking military officer has declared guilty of participating in a scam through which women from all over the country were swindled for an approximate total of $1.6 million.
It is detailed that the women, often in their 70s and 80s and widowed or divorcedwere persuaded to send cash or checks to addresses and businesses controlled by 52-year-old Fola Alabi, who lived in Richmond, Texas.
Last week, Alabi pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering charges in federal district court in Rhode Island. This was reported by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in a statement on Monday, accepting that he called himself ‘General Miller’.
According to prosecutors, a person posing as a general sent abroad was befriending Internet with women. Little by little, he gained his trust by feigning a romantic or personal interest.
The money was deposited into bank accounts he also controlled, before being quickly withdrawn or transferred. Federal agents who searched Alabi’s cell phone found photos and videos of packages containing cash. Also, checks they had received from some victims, prosecutors said.
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They deposited large amounts
The victims were from Rhode Island, Tennessee, North Carolina, California, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, Texas, Idaho and South Dakota, according to authorities.
An Arizona woman lost $334,000, according to an affidavit filed in the case. She felt “shame, embarrassment and guilt for having been cheated” and, as a consequence, she stated, she did not have enough money to eat or pay the bills, according to the jury.
A Rhode Island woman sent a check for $60,000 and was going to send another $240,000, but her bank discovered she might be a victim of fraud, blocked her account and contacted local police, according to authorities. .
The sentence is scheduled for April 25 of this year.