Badetito O. Obafemi, a Nigerian man, was sentenced to two years in U.S. federal prison for a romance scam that defrauded elderly victims of $300,000 across Missouri, Minnesota, and New Jersey. Obafemi laundered funds through businesses he operated in Georgia. He must repay over $311,000 and serve supervised release.
A Nigerian man, Badetito O. Obafemi, was sentenced on April 9, 2025, to two years in a U.S. federal prison for his involvement in a romance scam that swindled elderly victims across Missouri, Minnesota, and New Jersey out of $300,000. The scam, which spanned from 2016 to 2018, involved fake romantic connections established online, where scammers would manipulate their victims into sending money for supposed medical and business expenses.
Obafemi, 42, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips after he pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy in April 2024. He was accused of working with other conspirators to facilitate the movement of funds through various bank accounts he controlled, including his accounts and those tied to two businesses he operated in Georgia, EasyTickets, LLC, and Goeasy Logistics, LLC.
One of the notable cases involved a victim in Taney County, Missouri, who was tricked into sending money after an individual posing as “Kevin Condon” pretended to need help with a business venture and medical emergencies. In total, the scam resulted in over $27,000 being stolen from the Taney County victim alone, along with other victims across different states.
In addition to his two-year sentence, Obafemi must serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term and is required to repay $311,520 in restitution to the victims. This case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and local authorities.
