Kwam1’s Son Arrested For Fraud In Chicago

Sultan Anifowose, the son of veteran Fuji musician, Kwam 1, has
been arrested in the U.S along with 8 others as part of an
international investigation into online “romance scams” and
“mystery shopper” schemes that made victims lose at least $2
million over the past two years.

Below is how the US Department of Justice reported the
arrest on its official website:

Seven Chicago-area residents are among nine individuals arrested
in the United States and Nigeria as part of an international
investigation into online “romance scams” and “mystery shopper”
schemes.

During the Chicago-based investigation, dubbed “Operation Gold
Phish,” law enforcement identified a variety of cyber-enabled fraud
schemes allegedly carried out by conspirators in the U.S. and
Nigeria. One of the alleged schemes involved “romance scams,” in
which a conspirator builds trust with a victim through a purported
online romance before convincing the victim to send money to a
predetermined recipient. The conspirators initially contacted
victims online via applications and websites, including Match.com,
Facebook, and Instagram, the complaint states.

Another alleged cyber-enabled fraud involved a “mystery shopper”
scheme, in which conspirators fraudulently offered victims
opportunities to work as a mystery shopper and receive commissions
for evaluating retailers. The victim received a check through the
U.S. mail with instructions to deposit it in a personal bank
account, withdraw the money in cash, and wire it to a third party.
The check turned out to be fake, and the victims were defrauded of
the wired money, the charges allege.

A criminal complaint filed Dec. 4, 2018, in U.S. District Court
in Chicago charged nine defendants with conspiracy to commit wire
fraud. Arrests were recently carried out in Illinois, Texas, and
Nigeria, and all of the defendants are now in law enforcement
custody. The Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is
conducting a related investigation of other individuals in
Nigeria.

The U.S. charges were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United
States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Jeffrey S.
Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Craig Goldberg,
Inspector-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in
Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the Nigerian Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter S.
Salib and Charles W. Mulaney represent the government.

Arrested on the U.S. charges in Illinois were DANIEL SAMUEL ETA,
also known as “Captain” and “Etaoko,” 35, of Skokie; BABATUNDE
LADEHINDE LABIYI, also known as “Junior,” 20, of Chicago; BARNABAS
OGHENERUKEVWE EDJIEH, 29, of Chicago; SULTAN OMOGBADEBO ANIFOWOSHE,
also known as “Ayinde,” 26, of Chicago; BABATUNDE IBRAHEEM
AKARIGIDI, also known as “AK,” 39, of Chicago; MIRACLE AYOKUNLE
OKUNOLA, 21, of Chicago; and OLUROTIMI AKITUNDE IDOWU, also known
as “Idol,” 55, of Chicago. Arrested in Texas was ADEWALE ANTHONY
ADEWUMI, 27, of Richardson, Texas. Arrested in Nigeria was OLANIYI
ADELEYE OGUNGBAIYE, also known as “DonChiChi,” 26, of Lagos,
Nigeria.

In addition to the romance and mystery shopper schemes, the
complaint accuses the conspirators of engaging in various other
cyber-enabled scams, including investment and employment frauds.
The conspirators also defrauded victims by targeting corporate
email accounts, the complaint states. In the email scam, known as a
business email compromise, the conspirators fraudulently obtained
usernames and passwords or sent “spoofing” email messages that
claimed to be from a company employee, instructing the victim to
change the wire instructions for bank payments. Per the
instructions given in the fraudulent emails, the victims
unknowingly wired funds to bank accounts controlled by the
conspirators that had been opened in fictitious names utilizing
fake passports, the complaint states.

The charge in the complaint carries a maximum sentence of 20
years in prison. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable
sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S.
Sentencing Guidelines.

The public is reminded that charges contain only accusations and
are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and
entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of
proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Related