Date: 10-29-2024

Case Style:

United States of America v. Dodzi Kwame Kordorwu

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Court: The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota

Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office for Saint Paul

Defendant's Attorney:

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Description:

Saint Paul, Minnesota criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with B$2.3M Romance Fraud Scheme
Brooklyn Park Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for $2.3M Romance Fraud Scheme

A Brooklyn Park man has been sentenced to 63 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay full restitution in the amount of $2,144,291.86 for facilitating a national romance fraud scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, beginning in May 2018 through June 2022, Dodzi Kwame Kordorwu, 38, helped facilitate an online romance fraud scheme that targeted primarily elderly victims and lured them into sending money under false pretenses. The scheme relied on perpetrators impersonating a real or plausible but fictitious person, such as a senior U.S. diplomat or military official, that contacted the victims through online social media applications. The scheme participants then sought to forge a romantic connection with the victims. If successful, the scheme participants would then ask the victims for money purportedly to assist the false persona with some problem or need. Occasionally, the scheme participants would even introduce the victims to a purported third-party intermediary who would corroborate the false persona’s story and assist in defrauding the victims. The victims eventually were directed to send large sums of money by mail or other commercial means to a specified name and address.

In total, Kordorwu received over 250 victim packages containing over $2M in fraud proceeds throughout the scheme. Kordorwu then helped disperse these fraud proceeds to others. To do so, he created numerous dummy corporations and opened a variety of bank accounts to make the transactions appear less suspicious. He also interacted with known victims during the scheme to ensure the successful receipt of their money. Kordorwu kept some of the proceeds for his personal benefit and disbursed the rest to other perpetrators.

U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud sentenced Kordorwu on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. In handing down the sentence, Judge Tostrud specifically commented on the way this fraud scheme targeted elderly victims experiencing loneliness and remarked “the only word I have to describe the nature and circumstances of [Kordorwu’s] offense is ‘cruelty.’”

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and a Digital Forensic Investigator with Hennepin County.

Outcome:

Defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 63 months in prison, three years of supervised release

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