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Martins Friday Inalegwu, 31, and his wife, Steincy Mathieu, 24, both of Burlington County’s Maple Shade, employed several accomplices – many of them living in Nigeria – to romance victims online and then take their money, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Craig Carpenito said.
After making initial contact through dating and social media sites with phony identities, the thieves struck up what appeared to be romantic relationships with the victims either through email or on the phone, Carpentio said.
They then got the victims to send them money for bogus emergencies – customs fees, taxes or medical expenses, for instance, the U.S. attorney said.
At least three of the victims also were duped into paying application fees and security deposits to rent apartments that Inalegwu, Mathieu and their crew didn’t own, he said.
The crew “used myriad email accounts and phone numbers to communicate with the victims and instruct them on where to wire the money, including recipient names, addresses, financial institutions and account numbers,” the U.S. attorney said.
Money was wired via Western Union or MoneyGram to bank accounts held by Inalegwu and Mathieu in the United States or conspirators overseas or simply mailed checks directly to them, Carpenito said.
“After Inalegwu, Mathieu and conspirators collected the money, the victims never heard from them again,” he said.
Federal law enforcement agents identified more than 33 victims who lost more than $6 million -- $3.1 million of which Carpenito said was sent directly to Inalegwu and Mathieu.
The couple “spent the victims’ money on personal expenses, withdrew money in cash, transferred money to other bank accounts they personally controlled, and transferred money to bank accounts held by conspirators in Nigeria and Turkey,” he said.
Both were charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.
FBI agents arrested Inalegwu on Tuesday. His wife remained at large, authorities said.
Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI Atlantic City Resident Agency, Homeland Security Investigations and IRS-Criminal Investigation, as well as inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and his own office with the investigation.
Handling the case is Assistant U.S. Attorney Martha K. Nye of Carpenito’s Trenton office.
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