Fairfield man sentenced to over 6 years in prison for romance fraud scheme

A Fairfield man was sentenced to more than 6 years in federal prison Wednesday for money laundering in an online romance scheme, said Kenneth L. Parker, US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

De-love Kofi Amuzu, 25, was sentenced to 78 months for his role in the scheme, which was targeting elderly people looking for companionship online. Amuzu was first indicted by a federal grand jury in 2022, before he pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money on Feb. 2.

According to court documents, Amuzu and his co-conspirators created fake online dating profiles with stolen photos. The conspirators then communicated with the victims via chat, texts and phone calls, and they commonly claimed to live abroad to explain why they couldn't meet in person.

The conspirators would then instruct the victims to transfer money, often tens of thousands of dollars, to accounts that Amuzu controlled, according to court documents. Other than money transfers, the victims would also be instructed to mail Amuzu cash and other items, such as Rolex watches and iPhones.

After Amuzu would receive the money and items, he would then launder the money to accounts in Ghana.

Investigators found more than $1.1 million flowed through Amuzu's accounts. He was ordered to pay more than $800,000 in restitution.

“According to court documents, several victims lost so much money to the scheme that they were forced to declare bankruptcy,” Parker said. “Anyone who suspects they or a loved one is a victim of such a fraud can report it by calling the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11, or go to the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative website for more information."