Uwemedimo Umoren, a 62-year-old Georgia resident, has been sentenced to three years in prison for his participation in an international wire fraud conspiracy involving a criminal Nigerian enterprise and over $8 million.

US District Judge Victor Marrero passed the sentence, while Damian Williams, a United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced it on Friday.

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“The multimillion-dollar fraud enterprise Uwemedimo Umoren participated in preyed on the trust of elder Americans and others, using deceitful tactics to drain their hard-earned savings,” Williams said.

“The impact of this financial exploitation on the victims is devastating. With today’s sentencing, justice is served, but our fight isn’t over.”

According to the court papers, Umoren worked with an entity based in Nigeria only identified as ‘Enterprise’ between 2016 and 2021. During the recorded period, the enterprise conducted a series of scams against American individuals and businesses in the US. Court papers showed that Umoren helped the enterprise launder the proceeds of its investment, business email compromise, and romance scams.

The enterprise used email, text messaging and online dating websites to gain the trust of many vulnerable older men and women who lived alone. Members of the enterprise convinced these unsuspecting victims to transfer money to ‘Enterprise’-controlled bank accounts.

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“Umoren received fraud proceeds from victims of the Enterprise in more than a dozen business bank accounts that he controlled in Georgia,” the US Department of Justice stated.

“The business bank accounts were opened in the names of companies formed by the defendant that were purportedly involved in, among other things, automobile sales and health care. From in or about 2016 through at least in or about December 2021, Umoren controlled at least 15 bank accounts held in the name of shell companies he controlled that received deposits totaling over approximately $8 million.

“At least 17 individual and corporate victims lost money as part of Umoren and his co-conspirators’ schemes. The victims include vulnerable, isolated, and elderly victims who entered into relationships after the deaths of their spouses and, over a period of several years, were induced to drain their entire retirement savings. Many victims experienced severe emotional harm, including a now-deceased man whose stress from losing his life savings to the schemes contributed to his suffering a stroke.”

Apart from his prison sentence, Umoren received a three-year supervised release sentence.

Marrero also ordered Umoren to forfeit $8,230,516.04 and pay $1,246,072 in restitution.