A Nigerian citizen has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for his role in a romance scam that targeted multiple women in the United States. Daniel Chima Inweregbu, 40, of Lagos, Nigeria, was sentenced by United States District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, use of an assumed name to commit mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents, Inweregbu and his co-conspirators operated a scheme between July 2017 and December 2018. They created fake profiles on social media and dating sites using the alias “Larry Pham,” who was described as a Canadian-born Vietnamese man. Using these profiles, they contacted American women online and developed romantic relationships with them.
The group used messaging platforms and email to build trust with their victims. Once the relationships were established, they requested money under various false pretenses. The funds were sent to domestic bank accounts controlled by the conspirators.
The scam resulted in actual and intended losses of more than $405,000 from four identified victims. Inweregbu and others laundered the proceeds through financial transactions designed to conceal the origin of the money.
Inweregbu was arrested when he traveled from Nigeria to the United Kingdom and was extradited to the United States in July 2025. In addition to his prison sentence, he will serve three years of supervised release, pay a $100 special assessment fee, and pay restitution of $166,400.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson said: “U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter and expressed appreciation for the great support provided by United States Department of Justice Office of International Affairs and the United States Department of State.”
Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg led the prosecution.
