Nigerian Citizen Pleads Guilty in Romance Scam Targeting U.S. Victims
Inweregbu and his associates created fake online profiles under the alias “Larry Pham” on social media and dating platforms
NEW ORLEANS – August 28, 2025. A Nigerian man has admitted his role in a romance fraud scheme that lasted more than a year and cost American victims over $405,000.
Daniel Chima Inweregbu, 40, from Lagos, Nigeria, pleaded guilty on August 21, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown in the Eastern District of Louisiana. He was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and the use of an assumed name, along with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents, the scheme ran from July 1, 2017, to December 16, 2018. Inweregbu and his associates created fake online profiles under the alias “Larry Pham” on social media and dating platforms. They posed as a middle-aged man to gain the trust of middle-aged women in the United States. Once relationships were established, the victims were persuaded to send money through U.S.-based bank accounts controlled by the conspirators.
Investigators confirmed that at least four women were directly affected, though prosecutors said the scope of the fraud was wider. The group laundered the proceeds through financial transactions designed to disguise the source and ownership of the funds.
Inweregbu now faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count. The maximum fine is $250,000 for the fraud charge and $500,000 for the money laundering charge. He also faces up to three years of supervised release for each offense.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 4, 2025. The case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Department of State. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit.
