On Friday, two of the people who scammed the Annandale man will be sentenced in federal court in Alexandria. Ghanian nationals Linda Mbimadong and Richard Broni played relatively minor roles in the scam: Prosecutors describe them as “money mules” who never made contact with the victim themselves but helped receive and launder the money in return for a 5% to 10% cut of the proceeds.
Prosecutors estimate that the scheme targeted multiple victims and raked in more than $42 million, much of it going go Ghana, where the scam was headquartered.
In sentencing memos ahead of Friday’s hearing, Mbimadong and Broni, who were living in New York City at the time of their arrest, apologized for their actions.
“I have to express my ugly truth. I was selfish, ambitious and greedy for success,” Mbimadong wrote.
Jessica Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, is prosecuting the Annandale man’s case. She said large numbers of romance scams go unreported because victims are embarrassed that they fell for tales like the one the defendants in this case spun, around widowed royalty and inheritances of gold bullion. But she said the scammers are sophisticated and patient in their approach, building rapport with targets over a matter of months before making their move.
“These fraudsters know exactly how to play on people’s emotions,” Aber said in an interview. “They use third parties to try to validate the stories that are being spun.”
Authorities take it…
