How a Nigerian Con Artist Defrauded Americans Out of $400,000 Over Years
Daniel Chima Inweregbu, a 40-year-old Nigerian from Lagos, pleaded guilty on August 21, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana to charges including conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, using an assumed name in a mail fraud scheme, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The charges stem from a romance scam active from July 2017 to December 2018, which defrauded multiple U.S. women of over $405,000. Operating under the alias “Larry Pham,” Inweregbu and his co-conspirators used fake dating site and social media profiles to form romantic relationships with victims, primarily middle-aged women, before soliciting money under false pretenses.
Funds were sent to U.S. bank accounts controlled by the scammers and laundered to hide their origins. Inweregbu faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines up to $250,000 for fraud charges and $500,000 for money laundering.
Sentencing is set for December 4, 2025. The FBI led the investigation, with support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Department of State.
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