A federal jury in the United States has convicted Babajide Adesayo, a 41-year-old resident of Douglasville, Georgia, for laundering more than $2.7 million stolen from victims in a romance fraud scheme.
Adesayo was convicted on August 6 after an eight-day trial in Atlanta. He was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 16 counts of transactional money laundering.
Prosecutors said Adesayo continued moving suspected fraud proceeds even after his arrest and release on bond.
He was initially arrested in June 2024 and released without being required to pay bail. While awaiting trial, however, prosecutors said he continued receiving and transferring suspected fraud proceeds through business accounts.
According to evidence presented in court, victims either transferred money directly into accounts controlled by Adesayo or sent funds to other people who later transferred the money to him.
Prosecutors said Adesayo frequently withdrew or transferred the funds to himself and other accounts shortly after receiving them.
A federal magistrate judge revoked his bond after investigators uncovered the additional transactions. He has remained in federal custody since March 2, 2026.
US Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said Adesayo helped facilitate the theft of nearly $3 million and continued the scheme after being indicted and arrested.
The broader fraud operation targeted elderly victims online between April 2020 and September 2021. Prosecutors said the fraudsters posed as friends, business associates or romantic partners and invented reasons for requesting financial assistance.
They told victims they needed money for business equipment, medical problems, injuries or other emergencies. Some victims were persuaded to send hundreds of thousands of dollars, including retirement savings and other income.
Much of the money was transferred into business accounts controlled by Adesayo's co-defendant, Nigerian national Efemena Igbe.
Prosecutors said Igbe then transferred most of the money to Adesayo and disguised the payments as transactions for vehicles through Adesayo's automotive business.
Adesayo subsequently moved the funds to accounts in China, Hong Kong, Nigeria and other countries, according to the prosecution.
Over a period of about 1g7 months, prosecutors said he received and transferred more than $2.7 million belonging to victims.
FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham said Adesayo helped defraud vulnerable victims, including elderly people who lost their savings, and then moved the proceeds overseas.
"Even after his indictment, he continued laundering stolen funds," Graham said.
Adesayo is scheduled to be sentenced on November 20, 2026, before US District Judge Mark H. Cohen.
He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on each conspiracy count and up to 10 years on each transactional money-laundering count. He could also receive a consecutive sentence of up to 10 years for offences committed while on release.
The case was investigated by the FBI and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from other federal and local law-enforcement agencies.
