KC Reporter

A man from Georgia has been sentenced for his involvement in an online romance scam targeting elderly victims in Missouri, Minnesota, and New Jersey. Badetito O. Obafemi, 42, received a 24-month prison sentence from U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips, alongside three years of supervised release and an order to pay $311,520 in restitution.

Obafemi admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering after orchestrating the scheme from June 2016 to March 2018. The scam utilized online communications to build relationships with victims, eventually leading to requests for money under false pretenses, including business and medical expenses.

Particularly, a victim from Taney County was defrauded of $27,460, after being contacted by someone posing as “Kevin Condon.” Obafemi also tried to have the victim deposit $40,000 into his account under the guise of paying a court in South Africa.

He conspired with others to manage the inflow of funds, using his personal accounts and business entities like EasyTickets, LLC, and Goeasy Logistics, LLC, to launder money from the victims.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey Clark prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and Northfield, Minn., Police Department.

Information about the Department of Justice’s Elder Fraud Initiative can be found at www.justice.gov/elderjustice. Additional details on elder fraud enforcement are available at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Help for victims is reachable at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).