Cyber Crime
Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Jail for Global Romance Scam and Money Laundering
Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that BASHIRU GANIYU has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison for his involvement in a massive criminal scheme that defrauded victims across the United States, many of whom were elderly individuals seeking companionship.
In April 2024, GANIYU, 39, of the Bronx, was convicted of multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, as well as conspiracy to receive and launder stolen money. He was found guilty following a jury trial.
According to court documents, GANIYU was part of a global criminal enterprise based in Ghana that ran widespread romance scams and business email compromise schemes from 2020 to 2022. Using fraudulent online personas, the Enterprise preyed on vulnerable victims, primarily elderly men and women, convincing them that they were in romantic relationships. Once trust was gained, the perpetrators duped their victims into wiring large sums of money to bank accounts controlled by GANIYU and his co-conspirators.
GANIYU, who operated several bank accounts in the Bronx under the guise of a legitimate business, received nearly $12 million in illicit funds from over 40 victims. He then funneled these stolen funds to his co-conspirators, both domestically and abroad.
“This defendant exploited the loneliness and vulnerability of elderly victims, stealing millions of dollars through deceit and fraud. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for the profound harm he caused,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.
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In addition to his prison sentence, GANIYU was ordered to forfeit $11.7 million and pay restitution of $7.6 million to the victims of his crimes. Following his release, he will face three years of supervised probation.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danielle Kudla and Matthew Weinberg handling the prosecution.
This case highlights the relentless efforts to combat financial fraud, particularly crimes targeting vulnerable populations, and underscores the commitment of law enforcement to holding criminals accountable.
