Utah Woman Catfished Elderly Singles Out of $6 Million With Fake Online Dating Profiles

A Utah woman was found guilty on all counts in connection with an online catfishing scheme costing victims more than $6 million, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah.

A federal jury convicted Nelly Idowu, 39, of one count of money laundering conspiracy and two counts of money laundering on Oct. 19.

According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, Idowu made fake online dating profiles and befriended her victims between 2017 and 2019. 

Officials noted that the majority of victims were single women over 65 years old, whom Idowu convinced via her fake persona that she was in urgent financial need. 

Idowu would claim that family members had emergency medical costs, that she needed to help a U.S. soldier stranded overseas, or when all else failed, offered up "unique" investment opportunities to her victims.

“None of these financial needs were legitimate,” federal prosecutors said. “Victims sent money to Idowu and her codefendants for these false purposes. Idowu and her codefendants then sent a significant amount of the victim funds to overseas accounts in China and Nigeria.”

Evidence presented in court confirmed that Idowu’s personal and business accounts were on the receiving end of more than $1 million from 2017 to 2019, and that additional funds were received by Idowu’s co-conspirators. 

Some of the victims also testified to confirm they were victims of scams involving fictitious online romance partners. 

At least two co-defendants in the case— Osaigbovo Adesotu and Julius Omene Fredrick— have been sentenced to at least three years in prison and have been ordered to pay $6.3 million in restitution jointly. One other co-defendant, Nnamdi Joel Chukwu, will be sentenced in January.

Idowu is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 30.