Daniel Chima Inweregbu, a 40-year-old Lagos resident, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for his role in a romance scam targeting U.S. citizens, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced. Inweregbu pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, use of an assumed name in mail fraud schemes, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Following his extradition from the U.K. in July 2025, he was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $166,400 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Court documents detailed that Inweregbu and his accomplices executed the scam by fabricating romantic narratives to gain victims’ trust and defraud them. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that the group used online dating sites and social media to create the persona of “Larry Pham,” a middle-aged Canadian-born Vietnamese man, to target unsuspecting individuals.
Victims were contacted through online messaging and email, with communications designed to appeal to their desire for companionship. Once a relationship was established, Inweregbu, using the alias Larry Pham, persuaded them to send money to domestic bank accounts he controlled under various false pretenses. The scheme, which took place from mid-2017 through the end of 2018, resulted in actual and intended losses exceeding $405,000.
The prosecution demonstrated extensive collaboration among international law enforcement agencies, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation playing a key role in the investigation. The efforts also involved coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Department of State. The capture and trial of Inweregbu reflect the government’s focus on pursuing individuals involved in international fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, head of the Public Integrity Unit, led the prosecution.
