Romance Fraud: 2 Ghanaians Sentenced for their Role in Scamming US Man Out of Over $500K

• Ghanaians Linda Mbimadong and Richard Broni played a role in a scam that fleeced a US man out of over $500,000
• The two were sentenced in Alexandria federal court Friday to 36 months and 19 months in prison, respectively
• The victim was a 78-year-old man from Annandale in Virginia, US, who went on the social media network iFlirt to find love

Ghanaian nationals, Linda Mbimadong and Richard Broni have been sentenced to prison for their role in a scam that fleeced a US man out of over $500,000.

The two were sentenced in Alexandria federal court Friday to 36 months and 19 months in prison, respectively, for laundering money for scammers in exchange for a cut of the proceeds, The Washington Post reports.

The victim, a 78-year-old man from Annandale in Virginia, US, had gone on the social media network iFlirt to find companionship.

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After creating an account, he made contact with someone identifying herself as a widowed woman in her 30s who seemed interested, ABC News reports.

As their online relationship grew, the woman who claimed to be from New York, said she was arrested while traveling to Germany to retrieve an inheritance of gold bars, and needed money to make bail. The man paid.

The man subsequently got another message that she was arrested a second time and needed even more money.

According to ABC News, the Annandale man who is not identified in court papers, got taken for well over $500,000. Mbimadong and Broni were arrested for their involvement in the ''romance fraud''.

In sentencing memos ahead of Friday's hearing, the suspects, who were living in New York City at the time of their arrest, apologised for their actions.

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35-Year-Old Ghanaian Man Jailed 3 Years For Stealing

YEN.com.gh previously reported that a 35-year-old Ghanaian man identified as Moses Mensah is serving a three-year jail term for stealing plantains from a police officer at Saltpond in the Central Region.

Recounting how he ended up in jail, he admitted that he had stolen over 20 plantains on several occasions from the police officer in the past.

Mensah told Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng of Crime Check TV that he sold the stolen plantains for money and was subsequently arrested with the help of an informant.

Source: YEN.com.gh