D.C. auditor, contractor involved in romance scam, prosecutors say | #datingscams | #lovescams | #facebookscams

There were 21 alleged victims.

“If you find yourself in an online relationship and you’re asked for a bunch of money, it’s probably fraud not love,” Erek L. Barron, U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, said in a statement.

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Egunjobi, 48, of Waldorf, has been charged with money laundering, while his accused co-conspirator Isidore Iwuagwu, 35, of Upper Marlboro, is facing a count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to charging documents. If convicted, Egunjobi faces a maximum of five years in prison, while Iwaugwu could get a sentence of up to 20 years.

Egunjobi’s attorney declined to comment, and Iwuagwu’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

Federal prosecutors say Iwuagwu began the romance scam in October 2015 and it continued through July 2021. In one scam, an older woman living in Mesa, Ariz., received a Facebook friend request from a man named “Gerrald Burns,” according to a criminal complaint.

Burns told the woman he was a lieutenant commander in the Army stationed at a U.S. base, and he had photos of himself dressed in a military uniform, charging documents showed. Burns professed his love for the woman, and she reciprocated.

He told the victim in July 2021 he was being transferred to Djibouti, according to a criminal complaint. Burns eventually messaged the woman that his unit executed a raid against a terrorist organization, recovering millions in cash and gold.

Burns told the woman he wanted to share the wealth with her, but he said she needed to pay $67,000 to a logistics company to help get the cash and gold shipped back to the United States, according to the criminal complaint.

The woman tried to send the money to an account that was opened by Iwuagwu, but the banks involved in the transfer concluded it was a scam and canceled the transfer, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators also determined there was no Gerrald Burns in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Other victims sent tens of thousands of dollars, and one victim lost $300,000, according to court records.

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Iwuagwu worked as a contractor for the Justice Department, where he provided security at facilities. He also carried a firearm and had the power to arrest people in D.C. because he had been deputized as a special deputy U.S. marshal.

Egunjobi told investigators that he received U.S. currency from Iwuagwu and gave the man Nigerian money in return, according to criminal complaints. Egunjobi is also accused of receiving thousands of dollars directly from one of the victims.

The D.C. Office of the Chief Financial Officer, where Egunjobi worked, initially declined to comment, citing the pending criminal case against him. The office later confirmed that Egunjobi has worked as a tax auditor within its agency since 2009 and is on administrative leave amid an ongoing investigation.

Egunjobi has worked for the D.C. government for nearly 14 years, according to an online résumé. It said he performs audits, examines payrolls and makes recommendations about tax liability among other duties.