Special Deputy U.S. Marshal Stole $1.9 million from Seniors and Others with Romance Scam

Love found on dating sites can be tricky. No one can be trusted these days.

Fake profiles are proliferating among real profiles. Behind them loom scammers, working hard to gain your trust so they can steal your money.

When a person is lonely and is seeking a companion, they let their guard down. That's when the scammer launches their offensive, when the person is most vulnerable.

“How much money do you have in your bank account?” (Not a good Tinder question) Swipe left.

That is exactly what happened when Isodore Iwuagwu, from Upper Marlboro, Maryland and his online associates met their victims.

Special Deputy U.S. Marshal and Department of Justice Contractor Caught in 119 Scams

Isodore Iwuagwu, a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal and Department of Justice contractor and was caught for his role in 119 online scams during the period of October 2015 to July 2021. There may have been other associates involved in these scams, but the money always flowed into one of Iwuagwu's 30 bank accounts. He stole $1.9 million USD before he was caught.

The scams he were involved in typically involved a fake online profile posing as a U.S. military service member, or another figure of prestige, such as a doctor or lawyer that is experiencing a temporary hardship and needs quick financial assistance. These profiles were posted on social media sites, such as Facebook, or on online dating sites.

Senior citizens were especially generous to help out a person posing as a U.S. Military service member, falling on hard times.

One time, the scam involved "an attorney for a Major General in the U.S. Army." The victim fell for the ruse and sent Iwuagwu more than $300,000 USD.

Another time, the fake scam account posed as a Spanish doctor living in California, about to depart on a ship to provide medical treatment in other countries, such as Doctors Without Borders. The fake doctor didn’t have access to his bank account and asked the victim to send $1,120. The victim then subsequently sent more money through wires and the mail, totaling $51,880 USD sent to Iwuagwu. When this victim began to express doubts, the person running the scam sent the victim a photo of Iwuagwu’s actual Department of Justice contractor credentials. (Source: Justice.gov)

“If you find yourself in an online relationship and you’re asked for a bunch of money, it’s probably fraud, not love. We’re prosecuting elder fraud, including romance scams, to the fullest extent of the law.” -Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland

Meanwhile, Iwuagwu continued to work at his full-time job as a special deputy U.S. marshal and Justice Department contractor, getting paid a generous salary for his day job, while raking in the dough with his illegal side hustle.

Iwuagwu’s scams eventually caught up to him, and deservedly so.

The Crime and Prosecutor of Isodore Iwuagwu

Isodore Iwuagwu, 35, is facing a federal charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Money laundering is when a person obtains money illegally, and moves money around through foreign banks or even through businesses to legitimize the money as legal when it isn't.

The Prosecutor: U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron plans to do everything he can to seek justice for these victims, many being senior citizens.

A Joint Effort to Catch Isodore Iwuagwu: The criminal complaint was announced by the following people: Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Andrew Hartwell of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General Fraud Detection Office (DOJ-OIG); and Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Tira Hayward of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service — Washington Division (USPIS). (Source: Justice.gov)

Isodore Iwuagwu first appeared in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, 10 August 2022.

How Isodore Iwuagwu was Caught Laundering Money

In simple terms, Isodore Iwuagwu had unusually large transactions of money coming in and going out, which alerted the attention of law enforcement trained to identify money laundering.

Money coming in: Out of the 119 individuals scammed, Iwuagwu raked in $1.9 million USD and was caught managing 30 different financial accounts, and received an estimated $1.65 million in wire transfers.

Iwuagwu was not aware that law enforcement was monitoring these 30 accounts between 2013 and 2021. (Source: FOX 5 NEWS, Justice.gov)

Money going out: Iwuagwu wired more than $1.5 million out of his bank accounts, with at least $200,000 going to a Nigerian company, and withdrew over $511,900 in “structured” ATM cash withdrawals. (Source: FOX 5 NEWS)

With all of these money transactions taking place, it is no surprise that authorities were taking notice of all of these strange transactions that a typical person would not be doing. This is how he was caught.

The Guilty Sentence: If Isodore Iwuagwu is found guilty, he faces up to a maximum of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Sources

CBS Baltimore Staff. “U.S. marshal from Maryland accused in multi-million dollar romance scam.” CBS BALTIMORE. 10 August 2022.

FOX 5 DC Digital Team. “Maryland man accused of laundering millions from multiple victims in romance scam.” FOX 5 NEWS. 11 August 2022.

Hilton, Jasmine. “Deputy U.S. marshal accused in romance scams that bilked $2M from seniors.” The Washington Post. 10 August 2022.

Press Release: “Special Deputy United States Marshal Facing Federal Charges for Money Laundering Related to a Romance Scam Involving More Than 20 Victims.” Justice.gov. 10 August 2022.