A Nigerian man is set to face the music in a Houston court over allegations that he preyed on the lonely hearts of the elderly to the tune of $3 million. Darlington Akporugo, 46, a resident of Fulshear, is scheduled for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison at 9 a.m. on charges of wire and mail fraud conspiracy, alongside 35-year-old Fulshear resident Jasmin Sood, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office statement.
The duo reportedly concocted a scheme using fake online personas to worm their way into the confidence of elderly victims, who often were widowed. From approximately 2015 to 2022, Akporugo and Sood are accused of initiating contact through social networking and dating sites, then gaining trust through emails, texts, and calls before duping victims into sending sizable sums to a series of controlled accounts.
The indictment reveals that the alleged scammers went so far as to meet at the very least one of their victims in person in the Houston area. In a bold move, they’re accused of driving the victim to banks for the purpose of withdrawing and sending money directly to their network, even convincing the victim to grant Akporugo access to her banking devices.
An estimated 13 victims fell prey to this calculated fraud, forking over approximately $3,123,073. The indictment indicates a forfeiture clause, demanding all illegally gained proceeds to be returned. For these financial heartbreaks, if convicted, both Akporugo and Sood could spend up to 30 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and conspiracy. Additionally, Akporugo faces an extra decade behind bars for fraud in connection with an access device, plus two more years if hit with the aggravated identity theft charge.
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