*Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, both Nigerian nationals, face a combined 40-year jail term for participating in a romance scam involving approximately $560,000 sent to their various bank accounts in the United States, Canada, and Malaysia between January 2016 and April 2017

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Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, both Nigerians, will face a combined 40-year jail term for participating in a romance scam involving approximately $560,000 sent to various accounts in the United States (US), Canada, and Malaysia between January 2016 and April 2017.

The US Attorney, Alexander Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Albuquerque Field Office, in a statement disclosed the through the Department of Justice (DOJ), that Ogunlaja and Daramola were convicted, following a four-day trial and less than three hours of deliberation in the American country.

The statement noted: 鈥淎ccording to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the scheme, which began in January 2016, involved the creation of a fictitious persona named 鈥楪lenn Brown鈥� on the dating Web site eHarmony.com.鈥�

Ogunlaja and Daramola, both Nigerian nationals, were said to have worked with another individual who used this fake profile to initiate a romantic relationship with a victim in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and subsequently, request money from them, the statement read in part.

FBI: How the victim wired $560,000 to cyberfraudsters鈥� accounts

It is also noted that throughout the course of the fraud, their victim was led to believe that their financial assistance was necessary for 鈥淕lenn Brown鈥� to complete a purported construction project in Malaysia, and return safely to the United States.

The victim sent approximately $560,000 to various accounts in the United States, Canada, and Malaysia between January 2016 and April 2017, stated the US Attorney.

The victim, September 27, 2016, wired approximately $28,000 to a Woodforest Bank account in the name of Daramola Cars, as instructed by the fraudulent 鈥淕lenn Brown鈥� persona.

Daramola subsequently, wired $18,000 to a seafood importer in Denmark and issued a cheque for $14,000.

However, Daramola denied any knowledge of the romance scheme but the FBI said its investigation uncovered extensive evidence, including text (SMS) messages and WhatsApp correspondence on Daramola鈥檚 phone, revealing his role as a provider of bank accounts for various fraud schemes, including romance fraud schemes.

Ogunlaja鈥檚 involvement included using his Bank of America account to receive fraudulent funds.

Specifically, on March 9 and March 15, 2016, the FBI said 鈥淕lenn Brown鈥� instructed the victim to deposit $20,000 cash into Ogunlaja鈥檚 account.

Following these deposits, Ogunlaja made multiple cash withdrawals and transfers to Daramola鈥檚 account.

Following the verdict, the US court ordered that Ogunlaja and Daramola remain on conditions of release, pending sentencing, which has not been scheduled, noted the statement.

Nonetheless, at sentencing, both Ogunlaja and Daramola each face up to 20 years in prison without parole.

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