Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that OLUSEUN MARTINS OMOLE, a/k/a “Seun Omole,” was sentenced to 10 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman for participating in a large-scale fraud conspiracy involving more than $16 million in consumer electronics and other goods that were fraudulently obtained from thousands of victims in the U.S. and elsewhere. OMOLE previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “For approximately five years, Oluseun Martins Omole used his satellite communications business as a front to receive more than 23,000 laptops, tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, and other consumer goods. These items—worth more than $16 million—were bought and sent by thousands of victims nationwide who were defrauded by Omole and his associates. Omole’s fraud devastated victims: some had to take out loans, others fell into debt or declared bankruptcy, and some even attempted suicide. Today’s sentence sends the message that a lengthy prison sentence will await those who participate in these destructive fraud schemes.”
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and Complaint, the plea agreement, and other public filings and statements made in court:
From at least in or about February 2018 through at least in or about March 2023, OMOLE participated in a criminal enterprise (the “Enterprise”) that scammed thousands of victims in the U.S. and elsewhere of more than $16 million in consumer electronics, including smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, and tablets, among other items. The scams included romance scams, in which Enterprise members sent electronic communications to victims pretending to be interested in a romantic relationship, gained the victim’s trust and affection, and took advantage of that goodwill to induce the victim into sending consumer electronics and other money or property to OMOLE; online marketplace scams, in which Enterprise members contacted victims who were selling consumer electronics on online marketplaces, falsely represented to the victim that the Enterprise members had bought and paid for the consumer electronics, and instructed the victim to send the consumer electronics to OMOLE; and employment scams, in which Enterprise members posted phony job positions online, falsely informed unwitting victims that they were hired for the non-existent positions, and instructing the victim to send electronics to OMOLE under the guise that those electronics were needed for the non-existent position (together, the “Fraudulent Electronics Scams”).
During the relevant time period, OMOLE owned and operated a Texas-based business corporation named Tobylink Impressions, Inc. (“Tobylink”), which purported to be a distributor, re-seller, and supplier of satellite communications equipment. In reality, however, Tobylink was a front through which OMOLE received more than 23,000 fraudulently obtained laptops, tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, and other consumer goods sent by thousands of victims nationwide, which OMOLE then repackaged and shipped in bulk to other members of the Enterprise located in Nigeria. From February 2018 to October 2021, OMOLE received items from victims at a storage unit in Richmond, Texas, and from August 2021 to March 2023, OMOLE received items from victims at a warehouse in Sugar Land, Texas.
In total, OMOLE charged his co-conspirators at least approximately $623,894.50 in duty fees and weight-based shipping fees in exchange for receiving and shipping more than $16 million in fraudulently obtained consumer electronics and other consumer goods. OMOLE and his co‑conspirators’ actions victimized thousands of innocent people and caused substantial financial and emotional harm to those victims. For example, among the victims were: a victim who lost more than $350,000 and had to take out a $200,000 loan on her house that she was only $6,000 away from paying off; a victim who lost more than $75,000 and needed to file for bankruptcy; a victim who incurred more than $18,000 in credit card debt, had his credit score negatively affected, began suffering health issues, and considered committing suicide; and a victim who lost more than $220,000, had her cats taken away by county authorities due to the financial harm, and attempted suicide on two occasions.
If you believe you are a victim of the Fraudulent Electronics Scams and that you may be entitled to restitution, you may visit the following website: http://fbi.gov/TobylinkFraudVictims or contact the following email address: TobylinkFraudVictims@fbi.gov. Any responses should be received by no later than December 1, 2024.
In addition to the prison term, OMOLE, 58, of Sugar Land, Texas, was sentenced to three years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit $623,894.50 and various consumer electronics and other goods seized by law enforcement, and ordered to make restitution in an amount to be determined.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Williams also thanked Homeland Security Investigations for its assistance with the investigation.
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