A Canal Winchester man was found guilty by a federal jury on 35 counts of money laundering crimes related to an online romance fraud scheme. The verdict was announced Tuesday following a trial that began on May 16 for 39-year-old Seth Nyamekye.
Nyamekye was charged by a criminal complaint in October 2020 and was later indicted in May 2021.
According to court documents and trial testimony, Nyamekye laundered the proceeds of online romance scams that generated millions of dollars of loss.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio said the perpetrators of the scams created several profiles on online dating sites and then contacted men and women in the United States and elsewhere.
“The scammers cultivated a sense of affection and, often, romance, with the victims they met online before requesting money for investment or need-based reasons. The romance scam perpetrators then provided victims with bank account information where the money should be sent.”
Nyamekye controlled one of these accounts and received more than $1.3 million from victims.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the government proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Nyamekye laundered the victims’ money on behalf of the conspiracy.
They said Nyamekye conspired with others from at least June 2016 to February 2018 to commit money launder in multiple transactions of more than $10,000 “with the purpose of concealing the fraudulent nature of the proceeds.”
At least eight victims sent their money directly to Nyamekye’s bank account, which was in the name of Gloseth Ventures LLC, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
One victim was defrauded by a purported member of the military and sent a $170,000 wire transfer to his bank account.
Another fell in love with a man he met online who claimed to be in the military overseas and sent two wire transfers to Nyamekye totaling $73,000.
A separate victim believed she was engaged to the man who was scamming her and sent $50,000 to Nyamekye’s bank account.
After the funds were deposited, Nyamekye took a cut of the money and then made transactions to move the rest where others involved in the scheme could access it.
Nyamekye faces up to 20 years in prison on each of 18 counts, and up to 10 years in prison on each of 17 other counts.
U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker said if you believe you are the victim of an online romance scam, you are urged to file a complaint at this link.