Minnesota man pleads guilty in $2.3M romance fraud scheme targeting mostly elderly victims
File photo of court gavel and money. (Photo by Wodicka/ullstein bild via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Brooklyn Park man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to his role in a national romance fraud scheme targeting mostly elderly people.
According to court records, 37-year-old Dodzi Kwame Kordorwu was accused of being involved in an online romance fraud scheme, which mainly targeted the elderly. Kordorwu lured victims into sending money under false pretenses from May 2018 to June 2022.
The scheme entailed impersonating either real or fictitious people, like a U.S. diplomat or military official, who would contact victims on social media, according to the Department of Justice.
The scammers would seek out a romance with victims and then ask for large sums of money to help with some sort of problem. In some cases, a third-party person would be introduced to victims to help corroborate the scammer’s story.
According to the DOJ, Kordorwu received over 90 packages of money from victims, receiving $2.3 million throughout the scam. Kordorwu allegedly kept some of the money for himself, and sent the rest to other scheme participants.
Kordorwu pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, and a sentencing hearing will be scheduled for a later date.