A Maryland woman who operated a company used to receive money from romance scam victims has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $1.65 million in restitution.
Nana Takyiwa Adonu, a 43-year-old Ghanaian national living in Odenton, Maryland, was sentenced on July 22, 2026, to 70 months in federal prison for money laundering connected to a nationwide romance scam conspiracy.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentence on July 30. In addition to imprisonment, Adonu was ordered to pay $1,655,640.76 in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release after completing her prison term.
Company Received More Than $1.6 Million From Victims
According to public court records cited by federal prosecutors, Adonu played a significant role in a scheme that used fake profiles on dating websites and social media platforms to develop fraudulent romantic relationships with victims.
Adonu operated Han-Dak LLC, a company prosecutors said was used to receive money sent by people targeted in the scheme. More than $1.6 million from victims passed through the company, including over $55,000 sent by a person living in the Southern District of Iowa.
The victims believed they were sending money at the request of romantic partners they had met online. They were told that the funds would help them reunite with those partners or cover other expenses connected to the purported relationships.
Federal authorities said the financial consequences were severe. Some victims emptied retirement accounts, sold homes and vehicles, returned to work after retiring, or borrowed substantial amounts from relatives and friends.
False Business Records Produced During FBI Investigation
When FBI agents questioned Adonu, she claimed that Han-Dak LLC was a legitimate clothing-production business that manufactured garments in China, according to the Justice Department.
Prosecutors said she later provided false invoices, customer and vendor lists, and other business records in response to a federal grand jury subpoena. Authorities described the documents as an attempt to obstruct the investigation.
The Justice Department’s announcement does not identify the online profiles used in the scheme, disclose the total number of victims connected specifically to Adonu, or provide details about the identities used by the purported romantic partners.
Co-Defendant Sentenced to Nine Years
Adonu’s co-defendant, Naabanyin Aniagyei-Cobbold, was sentenced in March 2026 to 108 months in federal prison. He was also ordered to pay $1,554,442.46 in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release.
Federal prosecutors said Aniagyei-Cobbold operated Alpha Distributions LLC, another company used to receive funds from romance scam victims. He received more than $1.5 million, including over $400,000 from a victim in Iowa.
According to court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Aniagyei-Cobbold recruited and coached at least one other person to create a sham business, establish a website, and open bank accounts for receiving victims’ money.
Prosecutors also said he produced false invoices, receipts, and other records after being confronted by the FBI. He claimed Alpha Distributions was a legitimate electronics company that sourced products for customers in Africa.
FBI Describes Long-Term Manipulation of Victims
“Romance scammers exploit victims when they are at their most vulnerable,” Eugene Kowel, special agent in charge of the FBI Omaha Field Office, said in the Justice Department announcement.
Kowel said scammers convince victims that a relationship is genuine before gradually abusing their trust and taking their savings. He said some victims in the case lost their entire retirement accounts.
The FBI’s Omaha Cyber Task Force and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Lubben prosecuted it, and U.S. Attorney David C. Waterman announced the sentence.
Romance Scam Losses Exceeded $672 Million in 2024
The Justice Department cited FBI figures showing that approximately 59,000 people reported becoming victims of romance-related scams in 2024, with combined losses exceeding $672 million.
Authorities cautioned that the actual number may be higher because victims sometimes avoid reporting the crime due to embarrassment or shame. The FBI encourages both victims and people who were unsuccessfully targeted to file reports.
People who suspect that an online relationship is fraudulent should stop communicating with the person immediately, according to federal authorities. Anyone who has already transferred money should contact the relevant bank or financial institution and report the matter to law enforcement.
Cyber fraud can be reported through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Victims may also contact a local FBI field office or use other federal fraud-reporting resources.
