NJ Man Cheated Victims Out Of $1.4M In Online Romance Scheme: FBI

A South Jersey man has admitted to his role in an online romance fraud scheme in which he cheated at least 40 people out of $1.4 million, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Rubbin Sarpong, 37, of Millville, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with conspiring to commit wire fraud, conspiring to commit money laundering and tax evasion, according to officials.

Sarpong was among a group of conspirators, many of whom live in Ghana, set up fraudulent profiles on various dating websites between Jan. 2016 and Sept. 3, 2019, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.

They used made-up or stolen identities, and masqueraded as United States military personnel who were stationed overseas, according to officials.

After establishing virtual romantic relationships with victims on the online dating platforms and via email, the conspirators asked them for money, officials said.

They would tell victims they needed money to pay for the shipping of gold bars to the United States, officials said.

Although the stories varied, most often the conspirators claimed to be military personnel stationed in Syria who received, recovered, or were awarded gold bars, officials said.

The conspirators told many victims that their money would be returned once the gold bars were received in the United States, officials said.

Of course, the money was neither returned nor used to transport the gold bars to the United States, officials said. Instead, Sarpong used some of this money to buy property in Ghana, officials said.

He also posted images of himself on social media in which he had large amounts of cash, high-end cars, designer clothing and expensive jewelry, officials said. Sarpong also didn’t file any taxes on this money, resulting in a tax loss of $387,923.

The conspirators used several email accounts and Voice Over Internet Protocol phone numbers to direct the victims as to where to wire money, including recipient names, addresses, financial institutions, and account numbers, officials said.

At least 40 people wired money to Sarpong and others in the United States, including to 13 bank accounts controlled by Sarpong, officials said.

Some of those accounts were set up in the names of his friends, relatives, and a fictitious business entity, Rubbin Sarpong Autosales, officials said.

Occasionally, victims also mailed personal checks or cashier’s checks to the conspirators and also transferred money to the conspirators via money transfer services, such as Western Union and MoneyGram, officials said.

Instead, it was withdrawn in cash, wired to other domestic bank accounts, and wired to other conspirators in Ghana, officials said.

The conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering charges to which Sarpong pleaded guilty each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offense, whichever is greatest. The tax evasion charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

As part of the plea agreement, Sarpong agreed to make restitution in the amount of $1.76 million, and to pay $387,923 in taxes owed to the IRS, officials said.

He also agreed to make full restitution to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State of New Jersey for all money paid in Medicaid and SNAP benefits for Sarpong and his children from September 2018 through August 2019.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 21, 2022.