Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Isidore Iwuagwu, 35, of Upper Malboro, Maryland with a federal count of conspiracy to launder money related to numerous online romance scams.
Iwuagwu will make his first appearance today beginning at 2 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan.
The criminal charges were announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Principal Special Agent Andrew Hartwell of the US Department of Justice, Office of the Fraud Detection Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG); and Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Tira Hayward of the US Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division (USPIS).
“If you find yourself in an online relationship and they ask you for a bunch of money, it’s probably a scam and not love,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron. “We prosecute elder fraud, including romance scams, to the full extent of the law.”
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Iwuagwu is a special deputy United States marshal and a Department of Justice contractor who provides security for critical Department of Justice facilities.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, between October 2015 and July 2021, Iwuagwu engaged in a romance scam in which individuals contacted victims on social media platforms and dating websites, engaged in online relationships with the victims, then convincing victims to send large sums of money, claiming the funds were needed for alleged personal hardships or shipping costs for various imports. Many victims reported being sent funds at the request of individuals claiming to be deployed members of the US Armed Forces and asking for money for various personal hardships. The alleged scam involved more than 20 victims, many of them senior citizens. Victims linked to Iwuagwu reported losing a combined $1.9 million to the scheme.
For example, the affidavit details the account of a victim who was contacted on a social media platform by an individual claiming to be a major general in the US Army. Eventually, the self-proclaimed Major General asked Victim F to help him with financial expenses when he left the army. Victim F believed the individual was returning to the United States to be with her. At the Major General’s request, Victim F sent over $300,000 to Iwuagwu, who was said to be the Major General’s lawyer.
In another case, another victim was contacted by an individual claiming to be a Spanish doctor living in California who was leaving by ship to provide medical care to individuals in other countries. The individual claimed he did not have access to their bank account and asked the victim to wire them $1,120, which the victim did. The victim then transferred the funds to bank accounts controlled by Iwuagwu and also sent money to Iwuagwu through the mail. The victim sent Iwuagwu a total of $51,880. When the victim began to express doubts about the funds she was sending, the individual sent the victim a photo of the credentials of a DOJ contractor, Iwuagwu, to ease her concerns.
According to the criminal complaint, between 2013 and 2021, law enforcement authorities examined 30 accounts controlled by Iwuagwu. During that time, Iwuagwu allegedly received approximately $1.65 million in wire transfers from 119 individuals and approximately $1.138 million in other deposits, including money orders, personal checks, cashier’s checks and cash. Iwuagwu is alleged to have regularly withdrawn the proceeds through structured cash withdrawals or wire transfers to foreign banks. Specifically, Iwuagwu allegedly transferred more than $1.5 million from his accounts, including $200,000 to a Nigerian company, and withdrew approximately $511,900 through ATMs and other cash withdrawals.
If convicted, Iwuagwu faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering. The actual penalties for federal crimes are usually lower than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged with a criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a subsequent criminal proceeding.
The Department of Justice operates a National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311) or here for seniors who have been financially exploited to report their incident and be connected to additional resources and Information. Victims are encouraged to file a complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at this website or by calling 1-800-225-5324. You can file elder fraud complaints with the FTC at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 877-FTC-HELP.
US Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the DOJ-OIG and USPIS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Rajeev R. Raghavan and Jennifer L. Wine, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland, its priorities and resources available to help the community, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community -outreach.
