U.S. Marshal is Facing Federal Charges for Money Laundering: 119 Victims, Many Seniors Scammed
A special deputy U.S. Marshal was caught defrauding the elderly in romance scams and is facing federal charges. Find out how he was caught.
Love found on dating sites can be tricky to trust, unless you first perform a background check. Fake profiles are proliferating among real profiles. Behind them are scammers, working hard to steal your money.
When a person is lonely and is seeking a companion, they let their guard down. That is when they are most vulnerable. Scammers prey on the weak and vulnerable. They pretend to be interested, but quickly pivot to their intended agenda. They manipulate their way into your investment and savings accounts, in the name of love.
"How much money do you have in your bank account?" (Not a good Tinder question.) Swipe left.
119 Victims of Romance and Veteran Scams
Isodore Iwuagwu, from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal and Department of Justice contractor and was caught for his role in romance scams during the period of October 2015 to July 2021.
There were at least 119 victims that sent a combined $1.9 million USD to Isodore Iwuagwu's controlled financial accounts.
Isodore Iwuagwu, 35, is facing a federal charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Money laundering is when a person obtains money illegally, and is moving money around through foreign banks or even through businesses to legitimize the money as legal.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron plans to do everything he can to seek justice for these victims, many being senior citizens.
"If you find yourself in an online relationship and you're asked for a bunch of money, it's probably fraud not love. We're prosecuting elder fraud, including romance scams, to the fullest extent of the law." -Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland
Who caught him?
The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Andrew Hartwell of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General Fraud Detection Office (DOJ-OIG); and Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Tira Hayward of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service — Washington Division (USPIS). (Source: Justice.gov)
Isodore Iwuagwu first appeared in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, 10 August 2022.
The Scams — Stealing from the Kindness of Others
Isodore Iwuagwu or other individuals involved in the scams would pose online as a U.S. service member that was having financial difficulty, a doctor, and a lawyer.
Oftentimes senior citizens would give to this fake account found on social media or from people scammed on dating sites. Not every person scammed by Iwuagwu and his associates was a senior citizen, but many were.
Some cases were noted as romance scams and took advantage of people simply being lonely and wanting to find love on dating websites. First, they would pretend to be interested in someone, then convince the victims to send large amounts of money to one of Iwuagwu's 30 bank accounts.
The scammers frequently posed as deployed members of the U.S. Armed Forces and have personal hardships.
One time, the fake account was an attorney for a Major General in the U.S. Army. The victim sent Iwuagwu more than $300,000 USD.
Another time, the fake account posed as a Spanish doctor living in California, about to depart on a ship to provide medical treatment in other countries, such as Doctors Without Borders. The fake doctor didn't have access to their bank account and asked the victim to send $1,120. The victim then subsequently sent more money through wires and the mail, totaling $51,880 USD sent to Iwuagwu.
When this victim began to express doubts, the person running the scam sent the victim a photo of Iwuagwu's Department of Justice contractor credentials. (Source: Justice.gov)
Meanwhile, Iwuagwu would go to work his full-time job as a special deputy U.S. marshal and Justice Department contractor, likely getting paid a generous salary for his day job, while raking in the dough with his side hustle.
What a terrible human being. Iwuagwu's scams eventually caught up to him, and deservedly so.
The Money Laundering Caught up to Isodore Iwuagwu
Money coming in: Out of the 119 individuals scammed, Iwuagwu raked in $1.9 million USD and was caught managing 30 different financial accounts, and received an estimated $1.65 million in wire transfers.
Iwuagwu was not aware that law enforcement was monitoring these 30 accounts between 2013 and 2021. (Source: FOX 5 NEWS, Justice.gov)
Money going out: Iwuagwu wired more than $1.5 million out of his bank accounts, with at least $200,000 going to a Nigerian company, and withdrew over $511,900 in "structured" ATM cash withdrawals. (Source: FOX 5 NEWS)
With all of these money transactions taking place, it is no surprise that authorities were taking notice of all of these strange transactions that a typical person would not be doing. This is how he was caught.
The Guilty Sentence: If Isodore Iwuagwu is found guilty, he faces up to a maximum of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.
It never pays to steal money from others.
Disclaimer: If you are aware of elder abuse, please call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1–833-FRAUD-11 (1–833–372–8311) for elders who have been financially exploited.
Sources
CBS Baltimore Staff. "U.S. marshal from Maryland accused in multi-million dollar romance scam." CBS BALTIMORE. 10 August 2022.
FOX 5 DC Digital Team. "Maryland man accused of laundering millions from multiple victims in romance scam." FOX 5 NEWS. 11 August 2022.
Hilton, Jasmine. "Deputy U.S. marshal accused in romance scams that bilked $2M from seniors." The Washington Post. 10 August 2022.
Press Release: "Special Deputy United States Marshal Facing Federal Charges for Money Laundering Related to a Romance Scam Involving More Than 20 Victims." Justice.gov. 10 August 2022.
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