Former New Bedford man extradited to US on ‘romance scam’ charges

A former resident of New Bedford was arrested in London and extradited to the United States on wire fraud and money laundering charges related to an alleged “romance scam.”

Chukwunonso “Douglas” Umegbo, 37, was first arrested in the United Kingdom last April. He was extradited on Feb. 10. Umegbo appeared in federal court in Boston on Monday, and a hearing is set for March 2. He was indicted on six counts of making a false statement to a bank, two counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins. 

Umegbo also went by the aliases “James Abbott,” “Michael Philips,” and “Richard Armani,” prosecutors said. 

In 2018 and 2019, Umegbo allegedly opened bank accounts in the greater Boston area using fake identification documents. These accounts were used to receive money obtained from a number of victims of so-called “romance scams,” according to officials. 

Perpetrators of these types of scams use fake online personas to forge online romantic relationships with victims. They then use those relationships to obtain money and sometimes property. 

Once the money reached the bank accounts Umegbo allegedly created, he withdrew the funds in cash. Umegbo then used the money to purchase cashier’s checks or to make personal purchases, prosecutors said. 

In total, the fraudulent accounts received more than $560,000, prosecutors said. 

A charge of making a false statement to a bank provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. A charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the scheme, whichever is greater, according to officials. A charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000, or twice the value of the criminally derived property.