Nigerian Man Sentenced for $700K Romance Scam

Charl Nnamdi Emesim, a 53-year-old legal resident of Newark, New Jersey, was sentenced to 115 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Robert Wier for his role in a conspiracy to commit money laundering linked to a decade-long romance internet fraud scheme.

Emesim defrauded at least 23 victims, resulting in losses totaling $700,000. The U.S.

Department of Justice reported that Emesim operated at least 17 bank accounts under the names of companies such as Chadon Export and Chadon Truck. The fraudulent activities included romance scams, lottery scams, inheritance scams, investment scams, government impostor scams, and medical expense scams.

One victim, a senior citizen widow from the Eastern District of Kentucky, was deceived into believing she was in a romantic relationship with a man identified as Michael. Emesim impersonated a customs agent named Samuel Rock during a meeting with the victim, leading to significant financial losses.

Emesim is required to serve 85% of his sentence and will be supervised for three years upon release.