Nigerian Man Pleads Guilty to $405,000 Romance Scam in U.S.

A Nigerian national, Daniel Chima Inweregbu, 40, has admitted to his role in a romance scam that defrauded American victims of more than $405,000.

Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson confirmed the development, noting that Inweregbu entered the guilty plea on August 21, 2025, before United States District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown.

According to Shane M. Jones, Public Information Officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Louisiana, the defendant pleaded guilty to two of the charges against him. These include conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and using an assumed name to carry out the scheme, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Investigators revealed that the scam ran between July 1, 2017, and December 16, 2018. During this period, Inweregbu and his partners lured victims into fake online relationships to extract money. They reportedly created fraudulent profiles on dating and social media platforms under the name “Larry Pham,” posing as a middle-aged man in search of companionship.

The conspirators would build trust and develop romantic ties with women before exploiting those emotions. “Once the relationship was established, the defendant and his co-conspirators, posing as Larry Pham, requested that victims send them money under various scams and ruses to domestic bank accounts they opened and managed,” the statement explained.

Court filings further showed that the group laundered the stolen funds through a series of transactions aimed at concealing the source and ownership of the money. “Inweregbu’s scheme resulted in actual and intended losses to the victims of over $405,000. Thereafter, he and his co-conspirators laundered the funds by conducting financial transactions using the proceeds of their wire and mail fraud scheme, designed in whole or in part to conceal and disguise the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the proceeds, by directing the victims’ funds through intermediaries,” the statement read in part.

If convicted, Inweregbu could face up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine on the fraud count. On the money laundering charge, he faces an additional 20 years, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $500,000. He is also subject to a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.

Sentencing has been fixed for December 4, 2025, before Judge Brown.