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Former Massachusetts resident, a Kenyan national, admits to role in $4 million romance scam
A Kenyan national and former Massachusetts resident pleaded guilty to being part of a group accused of stealing $4 million in romance and COVID assistance scams.
Former Canton resident, 36-year-old Florence Mwende Musau pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud on Monday in Boston federal court.
Musau and five other people are accused of using fake passports in the names of numerous aliases to open bank accounts in and around Boston to collect and launder the proceeds of the romance scams.
The court documents said the group withdrew cash those accounts, often multiple times on a single day and generally structured in amounts less than $10,000, to evade detection and currency transaction reporting requirements.
The accounts were also used to collect fraudulent pandemic unemployment benefits in the names of Massachusetts beneficiaries who did not apply for such benefits, according to federal prosecutors.
More than $4 million in fraud proceeds was deposited into accounts allegedly controlled by defendants.
Court documents state that Musau participated in a series of romance scams designed to defraud victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by her and others.
U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled Musau’s sentencing for Oct. 14, 2021.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/...ilty-fraud-conspiracy-involving-romance-scams
Source: https://www.masslive.com/boston/2021/06/former-massachusetts-resident-a-kenyan-national-admits-to-role-in-4-million-romance-scam.html
A Kenyan national and former Massachusetts resident pleaded guilty to being part of a group accused of stealing $4 million in romance and COVID assistance scams.
Former Canton resident, 36-year-old Florence Mwende Musau pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud on Monday in Boston federal court.
Musau and five other people are accused of using fake passports in the names of numerous aliases to open bank accounts in and around Boston to collect and launder the proceeds of the romance scams.
The court documents said the group withdrew cash those accounts, often multiple times on a single day and generally structured in amounts less than $10,000, to evade detection and currency transaction reporting requirements.
The accounts were also used to collect fraudulent pandemic unemployment benefits in the names of Massachusetts beneficiaries who did not apply for such benefits, according to federal prosecutors.
More than $4 million in fraud proceeds was deposited into accounts allegedly controlled by defendants.
Court documents state that Musau participated in a series of romance scams designed to defraud victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by her and others.
U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled Musau’s sentencing for Oct. 14, 2021.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/...ilty-fraud-conspiracy-involving-romance-scams
Source: https://www.masslive.com/boston/2021/06/former-massachusetts-resident-a-kenyan-national-admits-to-role-in-4-million-romance-scam.html
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