U.S. Marshal Faces Federal Charges for Money Laundering: 119 Victims, Many Seniors Scammed

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.

Image made from copyright-free images

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.

Upset Senior Citizen; Photo by Kindel Media on Pexels

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.

Ghost Kitchen Locations in Alabama

 

Ghost Kitchens in Alabama

Ghost Kitchens are not Scary

Many people have heard about a new phenomenon happening in the U.S. where a kitchen is creating delivery-only meals, for third-party services (DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates, Uber Eats) to pick up. These are called "ghost kitchens" and it's becoming more and more common across the U.S. This new trend has really taken off since the global health pandemic caused by the Coronavirus, or COVID-19. But ghost kitchens started before COVID-19 even began to spread in the U.S.

However, even some well-known restaurant franchises have been struggling to pay the rent and bills, and have turned to this new trend to supplement some of their lost income. 

The company DoorDash launched a ghost kitchen called "DoorDash Kitchens" and it is located in Redwood City, California. Companies like DoorDash understand that overhead costs are lower, and less staff is required to cook the food. Ghost kitchens can literally operate out of any licensed kitchen, but it doesn't have to be in an expensive building where traditional fast and casual restaurants operate.

List of Ghost Kitchen Locations in Alabama:

Ghost Kitchens in Athens, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

16132 Athens-Limestone Blvd.

Athens, AL 35613

Ghost Kitchens in Bessemer, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

5000 Bond Blvd.

Bessemer, AL 35022

Ghost Kitchens in Birmingham, AL:

Kemp's Kitchen serving MrBeast Burger

2 20th Street North, Ste. 120 

Birmingham, AL 35203

Ghost Kitchens in Cullman, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

6092 Alabama Hwy 157 North

Cullman, AL 35058

Ghost Kitchens in Decatur, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

2315 Beltline Rd. SW

Decatur, AL 35601

Ghost Kitchens in Florence, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

2890 Florence Blvd.

Florence, AL 35630

Ghost Kitchens in Huntsville, AL:

Bravo Italian Kitchen serving Guy Fieri's Flavortown Kitchen & MrBeast Burger

401 The Bridge Street

Huntsville, AL 35806

Chili's serving It's Just Wings

2740 Carl T. Jones Dr. SE

Huntsville, AL 35802

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

4249 Balmoral Dr.

Huntsville, AL 35801

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

6226 University Dr.

Huntsville, AL 35806

Ghost Kitchens in Fultondale, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

3387 Lowery Pkwy

Fultondale, AL 35068

Ghost Kitchens in Leeds/Moody, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

1999 Village Dr.

Moody, AL 35004

Ghost Kitchens in Madison, AL:

Chili's serving It's Just Wings

8628 Hwy 72 W

Madison, AL 35758

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

8994 Madison Blvd.

Madison, AL 35758

Ghost Kitchens in Mobile, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

3250 Airport Rd.

Mobile, AL 36606

Ghost Kitchens in Oxford, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

40 Ali Wy

Oxford, AL 36203

Ghost Kitchens in Prattville, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

2775 Legends Pkwy

Prattville, AL 36066

Ghost Kitchens in Spanish Fort, AL:

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

30275 Eastern Shore Ct.

Spanish Fort, AL 36527

Ghost Kitchens in Trussville, AL:

Kemp's Kitchen serving MrBeast Burger

111 S. Chalkville Rd. 

Trussville, AL 35173

Logan's Roadhouse serving Twisted Tenders

5083 Pinnacle Sq.

Trussville, AL 35235

Ghost Kitchens in Tuscaloosa, AL:

Serving Twisted Tenders

1511 Skyland Blvd. E.

Tuscaloosa, AL 35403

The United States Coronavirus Stimulus Checks and latest Child Tax Credit

 

Important Information about the First Coronavirus Stimulus Checks

There are important things you need to know regarding the US Coronavirus Stimulus checks.

Question: When did the first stimulus checks come out?

Answer: The first U.S. stimulus checks were issued on April 11, 2020.

Question: How much were the first stimulus checks?

Answer: The first U.S. stimulus checks were $1,200 for individuals with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) less than $75,000 and $2,400 for couples with a combined AGI less than $150,000. Each qualifying household could also claim an additional $500 for up to three dependants under 16 years old.

Note: Those that filed direct deposit on their 2018 and 2019 U.S. tax returns to the IRS received their stimulus payments first via direct deposit.

U.S. Coronavirus Stimulus checks

The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Monday, April 13 that tens of millions of Americans will receive the payment by Wednesday, April 15, and that most eligible Americans would receive Economic Impact Payments also known as stimulus checks within two weeks of this date. These payments were made possible due to the CAREs Act.

Source: CNBC

Important Information about the Second Coronavirus Stimulus Checks

Question: When did the second stimulus checks come out?

Answer: The second U.S. stimulus checks were issued on December 29, 2020.

Question: How much were the second stimulus checks?

Answer: The second U.S. stimulus checks were $600 for individuals with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) less than $75,000 and $1,200 for couples with a combined AGI less than $150,000. Each qualifying household could also claim an additional $600 for up to three dependants under 16 years old.

These payments were made possible due to the Covid-19 Relief bill.

Important Information about the Third Coronavirus Stimulus Checks

Question: When did the third stimulus checks come out?

Answer: The third U.S. stimulus checks were issued on March 13, 2021.

Question: How much were the third stimulus checks?

Answer: The third U.S. stimulus checks were $1,400 for individuals with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) less than $75,000 and $2,800 for couples with a combined AGI less than $150,000. Each qualifying household could also claim an additional $1,400 with no limit on dependant's age or number of dependants claimed.

These payments were made possible due to the American Rescue Plan.

Source: as

Important Information about the Child Tax Credit

According to CBS News, most U.S. parents received their Child Tax Credit the week of October 15, 2021. The monthly checks of $300 per child will continue through the rest of 2021, with up to $1,800 per child will arrive around the April tax time in 2022.

Source: CBS News

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY EMAIL PHISHING SCAM

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

From: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
email: henrymarlingjr@gmail.com
Subject: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

MG  Timothy J. Lowenberg, Adjutant
General and Director State Military Department Washington Military Dept.,
Bldg1 Camp Murry, Wash USA.


Good Day To You,

I hope this email finds you in good spirit and in good health? because i
am quite aware of your losses in the past years now through this security
office intelligent track devices, it may surprise you tha    t i am also
aware of your Consignment Boxes Pursuit In Benin, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria,
Spain, France, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Korea and etc .My name Is Supp.
Tony Jeh Johnson,the Current secretary of U.S Department Of Homeland
Security  , i am in charge to monitor all Foreign Transactions In Africa
Europe And Asia and this kept me in constantly traveling round the world.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

I have been in The U.S. Department Of Homeland Security Secret Service now
since The Government of President Barack Obama, monitoring the various
transactions going on in Africa, Europe And Asia, most especially
Consignments Cases, A.T.M Card Cases And Bank Transfer. I do not intend to
spoil your day or to put you under duress. But you can not receive any of
your Consignments Boxes, A.T.M Card  And Bank Transfer  pursuit, without a
Clearance from this U.S Department Of Homeland Security. However, upon my
arrival in Benin Republic after series
of meetings with our President Barack Obama and United Nations Secretary
General Ban Ki-Moon, due to numerous complains from other Security
Agencies from Africa Asia, Europe, Oceania, Antarctica,South America And
The United States Of America Respectively, and against the Benin
Government and Nigeria over the rate of Scam/Fraudulent Activities going
on in these Africa Countries and around the World.

When i arrive in the Benin Parliament in Cotonou and going through all
cases of unpaid funds, i found your Consignment Box Clearance File lying
on the Foreign Affair Office Desk without any attention and on a thorough
scrutiny, i discovered that your Consignment have been abandoned by your
delivery agent. Meanwhile, i was made to understand that the Foreign
Affair Office have tried to reach to you, but no way and they have made
several attempts to contact your delivery agent but to no avail. To my
greatest surprise, during my recent routine Re-Checking, i personally
discovered that your Consignment Content Declaration Document
(C.C.D.D)stated that your Consignment Contains Personal Effects meanwhile,
it contains United States Dollar Cash Us$40 Million Dollars,  (Forty
Million United States Dollars) which made it impossible for the
Consignment to be delivered to you earlier before now.

A Fabricated Story linking Phisher to U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

Based on this personal discovery, i am contacting you now to let you know
that with my position and power as the secretary of U.S Department Of
Homeland Security and now i am presently here in Benin Republic to handle
this  matter of all unpaid foreign payment to their respective owners like
you, i can assist you to legally clear your Consignment Funds and
personally make the shipment to you on my traveling back, but you must
agree with the following conditions. Because i have called our office in
Washington,Dc from here in Benin, who has been intercepting all your
E-Mail Communications, telephone Text/Sms messages & all telephone Calls,
with the help of Mtn, Tigo Vodafone And Airtel Network Benin. I also
received some information from our Homeland Security Office representing
here in Benin Republic, they have confirmed about your emails, & other
communications that you have been dealing and sending Money to people in
Benin, Ghana, South Africa, Togo,  Nigeria , UK & etc who claims to be the
Western Union Directors and representative of other unofficial offices.
You are also dealing with a Bank, and other names which i am still waiting
to be forwarded to me from Our Office In Washington,Dc. My office
authority have monitored all your dealings with those Hoodlums.

You are advice to from hence fort stop further dealings with all the above
mentioned people, until we complete our investigation. Because your
dealing with them is termed as illegal transaction. I wish to inform  you
that we the Homeland Security is on look out for all the above mentioned
names, mostly those who claims to be the director of West African Debt
settlement, Western Union And Money Gram And A.T.M Card offices and
including the property recovery Benin. All these mentioned people are
imposters, and we intend to apprehend them soon. I want you to please stop
communicating, and dealing with them until we complete our investigation.
I wish to notify you about the latest development concerning your
Consignment Box content of your total USD$40 Million that was already
handed over to me today. Your Consignment Box content of your total USD$40
Million was assigned to me today after the meeting held between me and
some of the top Parliament members of Benin and the Foreign Affair
Minister in the Benin Capital Commecial Headquarters Cotonou, due to the
delay by you as nobody has heared frommyou to receive your Consignment Box
For Long time now.

Accordingly, we have waived away all your Consignment Box "Clearance Fees"
and authorized the Government of Benin Republic to allow me fly with this
your approved Consignment Box to make the delivery to you without any
delay which they have agreed. The only Fee you will Pay to confirm Your
Consignment Box received in your possession is the "Air Flight Weight Fee"
of  your Consignment Box which is the sum of  USD$85.00 only. In order
words your Briefcase is with me now and i shall be coming to your country
to make the delivery to you as soon as you sent me your below shipping
details/Address where you will want your consignment be deliver to you.

Your Full Name: .........
Your Full Address:  ......
Your Direct Telephone Numbers: .............

Preferably, you can send us your Mobile Phone number to enable an urgent
direct  contact with you hence the arrival in your city. Hence i hear from
you also with the MTCN Numbers for the fee payment of  the Air Flight
Weight Fee of your Consignment Box which is the sum of  USD$85.00 only,
then, i will be coming along with your Consignment Briefcase  Box content
of your USD$40Million, but remember that as the secretary of The
Department Of Homeland Security United States Of America, i am a Us
Government Secret Security Agent and i have the power to go through any
Airport Customs and security Agents without personal inspection or
inspecting what i carry along.

And as soon as i arrive in your state, i will give you a telephone call
and instantly send an email to you from my official Ipad Hand Computer
which is always with me while traveling around the world so that you will
give me a direction on how we can meet Face to Face and i will physically
hand over your Consignment Box to you before proceeding back to to my
official duty Post in the States.
As soon as i arrive, i shall call you on your Telephone Number following
an email to you then when you immediately respond, i will Meet you in
person, hand  over your Consignment Box to you and all these will end once
and forall now.

I have taken this assignment upon myself because i understand that you
have really paid so much on the cost of these Delivery  which i want to
stop now, because, nothing was received by you. So be advised to contact
me hence immediately you get this email now because, every thing has been
done ok. Once you send the money, try to immediately notify me with the
Mtcn for easy pick up and for the immediate action on the delivery of your
Consignment Box,for you to receive your  Funds without any further delay
Again . Since you was unable to receive it since .

Send the fee of  USD$85.00 via Money Gram or Western Union Money Transfer
using the below stated receivers name and information.

Receiver’s Name_____Chris Mezie
Country_________Benin
City__________Cotonou
Amount_______USD$85.00
Question_______ Urgent
Answer______Today
Mtcn_______
Sender's Name _____?
Sender's Address___?


As soon as you send the fee, make sure that you send me the MTCN numbers,
senders name and other payment information.Once you send the Money, Try to
immediately notify me with the Mtcn for confirmation and for the immediate
action on the shipping of your Consignment and its  Handing over to you.
Also you are to forward to    us any email that you have been receiving
from people for proper verification and investigation before you deal with
them okay.

Sincerely Yours,
CURRENT SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY USA.
Jeh Johnson official DHS portrait.jpg
From The U.S. Department Of Homeland Security.
I just arrived In The Benin Parliament In Cotonou

Legitimate Email: Important message from Target to our guests

U.S. Target Store

The following email is not a phishing scam and is a legitimate and important message from Target to anyone who has shopped in U.S. Target stores. Some people may think that it is a phishing scam, but I assure you, it is legitimate and real. Target is paying for 1 year's worth of Experian for anyone that has shopped at U.S. Target stores.

Subject line: Important message from Target to our guests.

Dear Target Guest,

As you may have heard or read, Target learned in mid-December that criminals forced their way into our systems and took guest information, including debit and credit card data. Late last week, as part of our ongoing investigation, we learned that additional information, including name, mailing address, phone number or email address, was also taken. I am writing to make you aware that your name, mailing address, phone number or email address may have been taken during the intrusion.

I am truly sorry this incident occurred and sincerely regret any inconvenience it may cause you. Because we value you as a guest and your trust is important to us, Target is offering one year of free credit monitoring to all Target guests who shopped in U.S. stores, through Experian’s® ProtectMyID® product which includes identity theft insurance where available. To receive your unique activation code for this service, please go to creditmonitoring.target.com and register before April 23, 2014. Activation codes must be redeemed by April 30, 2014.

In addition, to guard against possible scams, always be cautious about sharing personal information, such as Social Security numbers, passwords, user IDs and financial account information. Here are some tips that will help protect you: Never share information with anyone over the phone, email or text, even if they claim to be someone you know or do business with. Instead, ask for a call-back number. Delete texts immediately from numbers or names you don’t recognize. Be wary of emails that ask for money or send you to suspicious websites. Don’t click links within emails you don’t recognize.

Target’s email communication regarding this incident will never ask you to provide personal or sensitive information.

Thank you for your patience and loyalty to Target. You can find additional information and FAQs about this incident at our Target.com/databreach website. If you have further questions, you may call us at 866-852-8680.

Gregg Steinhafel

Chairman, President and CEO Image credit: Flickr Creative Commons; by kevin dooley