Wigbert Bandie, a 34-year-old man from Accra, Ghana, has been sentenced to over five years in prison for his involvement in an international wire fraud conspiracy that swindled two million dollars from victims, primarily the elderly. According to the Department of Justice, Bandie was sentenced yesterday, by U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan in Knoxville, Tennessee. Following his 63-month sentence, Bandie is required to serve a three-year term of supervised release and pay back $2.18 million in restitution.
In the plea agreement, Bandie admitted his role in a scheme that used false identities on social networks, dating websites, and other online platforms to establish deceitful relationships with unsuspecting individuals. As part of the con, which filed court papers reveal, the scammers quickly cultivated relationships through various forms of communication with their targets. Having done so, they would then extract money from them, leveraging tales of emergencies and alluring, bogus investment opportunities.
"Other co-conspirators functioned as “money mules” in the conspiracy," told Department of Justice press release. These individuals were key in moving the ill-gotten gains from the United States to offshore accounts via wire transfers or postal services. A victim in the Eastern District of Tennessee was among those who fell prey to the fraudulent activities, losing over $280,000 over several months.
U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III and FBI Special Agent Joe Carrico announced Bandie's sentencing and restitution requirements. The case followed a thorough FBI investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne H. Sullivan representing the U.S. in court.
