A Ghanaian national, Wigbert Bandie, has been sentenced to 63 months in federal prison in Tennessee in the United States of America for his role in a $2 million international wire fraud scheme.
A U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan handed down the sentence in the Eastern District of Tennessee and also ordered Bandie to pay $2.18 million in restitution to 11 victims and serve three years of supervised release following his incarceration.
The suspect, Bandie, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. §§ 1349 and 1343.
According to court documents, he was part of a network that targeted primarily elderly victims across the United States through a sophisticated online romance scam.
The conspiracy relied on fraudsters assuming false identities on social media, dating websites, and other online platforms to establish relationships with victims.
Bandie and his co-conspirators, according to the court documents, exploited these connections, convincing victims to send money via wire transfers, checks, and mail under the guise of emergencies or fake investment opportunities.
Victims were manipulated into sending increasingly larger sums of money, with some losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. One victim in Tennessee was defrauded of over $280,000 over several months.
The scheme also involved “money mules,” individuals who helped transfer the ill-gotten gains to overseas accounts through bank transfers or mail, complicating the tracking of stolen funds.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) led the investigation, spearheaded by Special Agent Matthew R. Short. U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III and FBI Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico announced the sentencing, underscoring the government’s commitment to combating financial fraud schemes that prey on vulnerable populations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne H. Sullivan prosecuted the case.
Romance scams, often targeting the elderly, have become a pervasive form of online fraud, with millions lost each year. Officials urged the public to exercise caution when forming online relationships, especially when financial requests are involved.
This sentencing serves as a stark reminder of the serious consequences awaiting those who exploit trust for financial gain.