A Bronx man was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his involvement in an international scam that conned millions from vulnerable Americans, particularly the elderly looking for companionship through romance scams and business email compromises.
According to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, the defendant, identified as Bashiru Ganiyu, 39, was found guilty of several charges including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, money laundering, among others, and throughout the trial, evidence was presented revealing the extent of his participation in the criminal enterprise based in Ghana which defrauded many across the United States, the justice system held Ganiyu accountable for his role in this devious scheme. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, "The defendant's conduct devastated victims around the country, including many who were looking for companionship. Today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable for his conduct."
Prosecutors detailed that the enterprise operated from approximately 2020 to 2022, manipulating victims with fake romantic intentions to wire funds to false bank accounts, misrepresenting these actions as transactions to their supposed romantic partners, ultimately, the accounts were controlled by the enterprise members which included Ganiyu who held the purse strings of these fraudulent operations in the Bronx, New York. Ganiyu, through his association with the enterprise, managed to receive close to $12 million into numerous bank accounts, originating from more than 40 victims who had been lured into the scam.
Upon sentencing, Ganiyu also received three years of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit over $11 million in ill-gotten gains and pay restitution of nearly $7.7 million, this sentence reflects the significant harm caused to numerous individuals by Ganiyu's actions and underscores the dedication of the FBI in investigating such fraudulent activities, reinforcing the justice system's effort to bring to book those preying on the trust and vulnerability of unsuspecting victims.
