In a fraud plot unraveled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a Kenyan woman in the United States pled guilty to Ksh431 million romance scam.
Florence Mwende Musau, 36, of Canton, Ohio, acknowledged to conspiring with five people to commit wire and bank fraud on Monday, June 21.
On March 25, 2021, Musau and five others were charged in connection with their roles in online scams that are alleged to have collectively defrauded victims of more than $4 million.
According to the charging documents, Musau participated in a series of romance scams designed to defraud victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by her and others.
Romance scams occur when a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain a victim’s affection and trust.
The scammer then uses the illusion of a romantic or close relationship to manipulate and/or steal from the victim.
To carry out the schemes, Musau used fake passports in the names of numerous aliases to open bank accounts in and around Boston to collect and launder the proceeds of the romance scams.
She then executed large cash withdrawals from those accounts, often multiple times on a single day and generally structured in amounts less than $10,000, in an effort to evade detection and currency transaction reporting requirements.
The charge of conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud provide for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, a fine of up to $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, restitution, and forfeiture.
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