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A Texas man has pleaded guilty to his role in a romance scam that cheated women all across the nation out of a total of about $1.6 million. KHOU reported that the man pretended to be a U.S. Army general.
Fola Alabi, 52, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Rhode Island last week to conspiracy and money laundering, according to federal prosecutors.
Prosecutors say the man pretended to be a general stationed overseas. He would allegedly befriend women and then gain their trust by claiming romantic or personal interest.
The targeted women were often in their 70s and 80s and widowed or divorced. The women would be persuaded to send cash or checks to address and companies that were controlled by Alabi. According to prosecutors, the money would then be deposited into bank accounts that Alabi controlled.
The victims of the scam were from Arizona, California, Idaho, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
According to a affidavit, one Arizona woman lost a total of $334,000. A Rhode Island woman lost $60,000, and was going to send an additional $240,000 until her bank determined that she may be the victim of a fraud.
Sentencing is scheduled for April 25th.