A financial auditor for the District of Columbia is facing money laundering charges involving a romance scheme in a federal criminal complaint, the Maryland US Attorney’s Office announced on Friday, August 26.
The defendant, identified as 48-year-old Charles K. Egunjobi of Waldorf, Maryland, allegedly operated an unlicensed money service business, facilitating the money laundering operations related to dozens of online romance scams between September 2019 and April 2020.Â
Egunjobi, who is a financial auditor for the DC government where he supports criminal investigations, co-conspired with Isidore Iwuagwu, 35, who is a co-defendant in the complaint.
The pair contacted more than 20 victims, many of whom are seniors, on social media platforms and dating sites, and initiated online romantic relationships with them.Â
Egunjobi and Iwuagwu then convinced victims to send money, saying they are suffering financial difficulties.Â
The co-conspirators claimed in their communications with the victims that they were deployed members of the US military.
Messages discovered on Egunjobi’s phone showed requests from individuals for Egunjobi to transfer money or vehicles to Nigeria from the US, according to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint.Â
Other messages found on the pair’s phones revealed that Egunjobi assisted Iwuagwu to obtain Nigerian currency in exchange for Egunjobi receiving US dollars.
Egunjobi, who was released under supervision, faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison if convicted.