Minnesota Men Charged in Fake Dating Scheme Targeting the Elderly
MINNEAPOLIS (WJON News) -- Two Minnesota men are facing charges in a $3.5 million scheme that targeted elderly internet users.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 42-year-old Solomon Wilfred of Coon Rapids and 36-year-old and Dodzi Kordorwu of Brooklyn Park have been charged with fraud in the online romance schemes.
Court records show Wilfred and Kordorwu both created fake profiles that they used to reach out to elderly people via email and social media under the pretense of making a romantic connection. According to the documents, the men would suggest marriage and even mail cards and rings to the victims to earn their trust and further the scheme.
Records show once they had established relationships with the victims, Wilfred and Kordorwu would introduce them to other people such as a fake assistant, government official, or member of law enforcement. Court documents show at that point, Wilfred and Kordorwu would ask the victims for money and other items of value to assist those fake personas with requests increasing in size over time.
According to court records, Wilfred and Kordorwu used various addresses and bank accounts to receive the money and the packages sent by their victims. Records show Kordorwu received more than $2.3 million from May 2018 to June 2022, and Wilfred received over $1.2 million between June 2020 and March 2021.
The documents show the men kept some of that money for themselves and shared portions of it with the other people participating in the scheme.
Wilfred is charged with seven counts of mail fraud, while Kordorwu is charged with eight counts of mail fraud. They will each appear in court at later dates.
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