COLUMBUS – The woman believed that Frank Wilberg was going to marry her so when he asked for some money to reserve the site, she sent it to him and went out and bought her gown and shoes.
Unfortunately, Frank was not real.
“Frank” was the creation of eight people from central Ohio who have been indicted by a federal grand jury for laundering money they made running online “romance scams,” according to Benjamin Glassman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, which includes Columbus.
Kwabena Bonsu, Kwasi Oppong, Kwame Ansah, John Amoah, Samuel Antwi, King Faisal Hamidu, Nkosiyoxoxo Msuthu and Cynthia Appiagyei were all charged on Valentine’s Day with conspiring to launder and for laundering the proceeds of online scams, Glassman said.
According to the indictment, the defendants created profiles on online dating sites, including Match.com, where “Frank Wilberg” met his mark, ChristianMingle.com, BabyBoomerPeopleMeet.com, PlentyofFish.com, OurTime.com, EHarmony.com and Facebook.
They then contacted men and women across the country and “cultivated a sense of affection, and often, romance,” Glassman said.
At least 26 victims were defrauded of amounts ranging from $10,000 to more than $100,000 per wire transfer, Glassman said.
Instead of using the money for what they told their victims it would be for – usually because the scammer needed money or for fictitious investments in gold, diamond or oil and gas pipeline opportunities in Africa — the defendants allegedly concealed their profits through such schemes transferring funds to other accounts, purchasing assets and sending the assets overseas, particularly salvaged vehicles purchased online and exported to Ghana, according to the indictment.
“Frank Wilberg” told his victim he owned a consulting firm that tested gold for purity and needed money to buy gold and gold contracts, claiming that he expected to profit $6 million and would repay her with the profits. The indictment says the woman wired money to accounts controlled by Amoah, Bonsu, Msuthu, and Appiagyei, and did not receive any money back.
The defendants also allegedly created several companies, some of which were shell companies, to help attempt to hide the true nature of their proceeds, said Ryan Korner, Special Agent in Charge of the Cincinnati Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigation.