Tag: United States

Washington DC proclaims October 1 Nigerian American Day

The City of Washington DC, United States, has proclaimed October 1 as Nigerian American Day in celebration of Nigeria’s 62nd Independence Day anniversary.

The proclamation was made in a statement by the Mayor of Washington DC, Muriel Bowser.

Bowser said the District of Columbia had one of the largest Nigerian immigrant populations in the U.S., adding that DC residents saluted the contributions of Nigerian Americans as civic leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs.

According to her, Nigerian music and art, particularly Afrobeats and Nollywood, enrich the cultural economy and strengthen cultural ties.

“The Nigerian Center, an immigrant and cultural center in Washington, DC, provides a platform for the African diaspora to learn about their Nigerian heritage and expands pathways for recently arrived Nigerian immigrants to become Nigerian Americans.

“The city’s Office on African Affairs works with the Nigerian Center to foster economic inclusion and advancement and to promote Nigerian culture,” Bowser said.

The Nigerian Center is the first immigrant and cultural center for the Nigerian diaspora in the U.S.

It was established to connect to the Nigerian culture while offering financial inclusion and social justice opportunities for members of the Nigerian American community in the U.S..

The center also curated cultural programs for first-generation Nigerian-Americans and supported newly arrived immigrants.

Also, the Nigerian center is opening a walk-in immigration clinic in Washington, D.C. for community members who required legal assistance regarding immigration and naturalisation.

The center and several community organisations serving the Nigerian American community will announce the opening on Oct. 4.

September 30, 2022
Flightline begins preparations for Breeder’s Cup Classic

Unbeaten Thoroughbred, Flightline, is preparing for the Breeder’s Cup Classic (Classic) on 5 November. It will be the biggest challenge in his two-year career thus far where he has to compete with top racers not just in the United States but visitors from abroad. Flightline is preparing for the race with an 8-metre workout timed at 48 seconds on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

Trainer John Sadler aims to train Flightline to get used to the 2000-metre dash, the standard for the Classic. Santa Anita Officials also weighed in that they expect him to work five times before being shipped to Keeneland for the upcoming race.

All about Flightline

Flightline is a 4-year-old colt foaled on 14 March 2018 at Summer Wind Equine. He is sired by 2014-2016 leading sire Tapit with the Indian Charlie progeny, Feathered. Though he never raced in the United States as a 2-year-old, he is considered the top performer in his first racing season as a 3-year-old. Today, he is the favourite in any events he’s listed in a bookmaker for horses and betting.

Flightline has won all five races that he participated in. His debut was a maiden race at Santa Anita in April 2021 followed by an allowance race at Del Mar in September that year. His first major race was the 7-furlong Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita as a 3-year-old. The other two races were the 1-mile Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and 1 ¼ miles Pacific Classic Stakes (G1).

All about the Breeder’s Cup Classic

The Breeder’s Cup Classic is a Grade 1 (G1) race for 3-year-olds and older Thoroughbreds with notoriety for having one of the hardest outcomes to predict. First, it is filled only with high-quality racehorses. Every participant is a champion of their own right, some of which are also undefeated like Flightline. He’s the only one with an uncontested status so far but Life is Good has more graded stakes experience. Secondly, the Classic is held at different venues every year. This time is in Keeneland but the last year was Del Mar.

The Classic features a 1 ¼ miles track with dirt surface and a left-handed turn. Handicap for 3-year-olds from the northern hemisphere is 55 kg and 53 kg from those in the southern hemisphere. 4-year-olds and older all have a 57.2 kg handicap. Fillies and mares are allowed 1.3 kg less for all categories. The race purse is $6,000,000, making it one of the highest-priced horse races in the world. Only the Saudi Cup, Dubai World Cup, The Everest, and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe have higher purses most of the time.

Betting tip for the Breeder’s Cup Classic

Horses and betting goes hand-in-hand like most sports. If you are looking for tips, then you should start with the top 5 favourites out of the 20 contenders. Flightline is one of them while the other four include Life is Good, Epicenter, Country Grammar, and Hot Rod Charlie. See what expert punters have to say about their chance of winning against Flightline. Include them in your combination betting like exacta or quinella for maximum profit.

September 29, 2022
U.S. warns Putin of ‘catastrophic’ consequences over nuclear weapons

United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. would respond decisively to any Russian use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

Sullivan said the United States has spelled out to Moscow the “catastrophic consequences” it would face.

His remarks represented the latest American warning following the thinly veiled nuclear threat made by Vladimir Putin last Wednesday in a speech in which the Russian president also announced his country’s first wartime military mobilization since World War Two.

Sullivan told NBC’s meet the press programme that “if Russia crosses this line, there will be catastrophic consequences for Russia. United States will respond decisively.

Sullivan did not describe the nature of the planned U.S. response in his comments on Sunday but said the United States has privately to Moscow “spelled out in greater detail exactly what that would mean.

According to him, the United States has been in frequent, direct contact with Russia, including during the last few days to discuss the situation in Ukraine and Putin’s actions and threats.

U.S. President Joe Biden in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday accused Putin of making “overt nuclear threats against Europe” in reckless disregard for nuclear nonproliferation responsibilities.

Russia also was staging a referendum in four eastern Ukrainian regions with the goal of annexing territory that Russian forces have taken during their invasion of Ukraine launched in February.

Ukraine and its allies have called the referendums a sham designed to justify an escalation of the war and Putin’s mobilization drive after recent battlefield losses.

Experts said by incorporating the areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia into Russia, Moscow could portray attacks to retake them as an attack on Russia itself, a warning to Ukraine and its Western allies.

However, after suffering setbacks on the battlefield, Putin was mobilizing 300,000 troops while also threatening to use “all available means” to protect Russia.

“This is not a bluff,” Putin said in the remarks viewed on the world stage as a threat on the potential use of nuclear weapons.

Sullivan added that “Putin remains intent on wiping out the Ukraine people that he does not believe have a right to exist.

“So he’s going to keep coming and we have to keep coming with weapons, ammunition, intelligence and all the support we can provide.”

September 26, 2022
Iran drags US to ICJ over Washington’s confiscation of $2 billion assets

The Islamic Republic of Iran has dragged the United States before the United Nation’s highest court, Monday, over Washington’s confiscation of $2 billion assets from Iranian state bank accounts to compensate bombing victims.

The International Court of Justice, ICJ. also known as the World Court, is the main judicial organ of the United Nation.

Iran argued that it was an attempt to destabilize the Iranian government and a violation of international law.

In 2016, Tehran filed a suit at the International Court of Justice after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled money held in Iran’s central bank could be used to compensate the 241 victims of a 1983 bombing of a U.S. military base in Lebanon believed linked to Iran.

Iran government has dragged the United States before the United Nation’s highest court, Monday, over Washington’s confiscation of $2 billion assets from Iranian state bank accounts to compensate bombing victims.

They argued that it was an attempt to destabilize the Iranian government and a violation of international law.

In 2016, Tehran filed a suit at the International Court of Justice after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled money held in Iran’s central bank could be used to compensate the 241 victims of a 1983 bombing of a U.S. military base in Lebanon believed linked to Iran.

Hearings in the case opened Monday in the Hague-based court, starting with Iran’s arguments. The proceedings will continue with opening statements by Washington on Wednesday.

At stake are $1.75 billion in bonds, plus accumulated interest, belonging to the Iranian state but held in a Citibank account in New York.

In 1983, a suicide bomber in a truck loaded with military-grade explosives attacked U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 American troops and 58 French soldiers.

While Iran long has denied being involved, a U.S. District Court judge found Tehran responsible in 2003. That ruling said Iran’s ambassador to Syria at the time called “a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and instructed him to instigate the Marine barracks bombing.”

The international court ruled it had jurisdiction to hear the case in 2019, rejecting an argument from the U.S. that its national security interests superseded the 1955 Treaty of Amity, which promised friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

“The freedom of navigation and commerce guaranteed by the treaty have been gravely breached,” Tavakol Habibzadeh, head of international legal affairs for Iran, told the 14-judge panel Monday.

A 2012 U.S. law ordered the bank to hand over the assets to the families of those killed in the Beirut bombing. A U.S. court concluded the attack, which struck barracks for service members conducting peacekeeping operations during Lebanon’s civil war, was carried out by Iranian agents supported by the Hezbollah militant group.

Iran claims it was not involved in the attack. Habibzadeh said Monday that the U.S has created an “industry of litigation” against Iran and Iranian companies in an effort to undermine the regime. The seizure was just one maneuver “aiming to destabilize Iran and the Iranian government,” Habibzadeh said.

The two countries have had no diplomatic relations since the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover by militant students in Tehran.

The pair have a second case pending before the ICJ over the same obscure treaty. Tehran filed an unrelated complaint with the court in 2018 after former president Donald Trump re-imposed sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. In response, the U.S. withdrew from the treaty entirely.

The hearings come as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi headed on Monday to New York, where he will be speaking to the U.N. General Assembly later this week.

Talks between Iran and world powers over reviving a 2015 deal to curb Iran’s nuclear activities remain stalled. Tehran and Washington have traded written responses in recent months on a roadmap that would see sanctions lifted against Iran in exchange for restricting its rapidly advancing nuclear program.

September 20, 2022
Nigerian comedienne, Helen Paul bags presidential lifetime achievement award in US

Famous Nigerian comedienne and TV show host, Helen Paul, has become a recipient of the 2022 Presidential Lifetime Achievement award in the United States, US.

Delighted about the feat, the 39-year-old entertainer, who is a professor at Heart Bible International University, said she feels privileged to receive the award from the President of the United States, Joe Biden.

She said: “I’m honoured and privileged to be awarded the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award by the Heart Bible International University. The Award ceremony was held in Hartford Connecticut, USA and this award is a prestigious award from the President of the United States, President Joe Biden.”

“I am elated to be recognized and celebrated in this manner. I am proud to be a part of HBIU – a shining institution promoting ideas that challenge and change the world. I am glad to be associated with the growth of an institution with humble beginnings that is taking clear and definitive steps toward being one of the most sought-after institutions in the world. Indeed, when the success story of HBIU is told, I will gladly say ‘I saw it on the horizon, if God said it, He will do it.”

Helen seized the opportunity to thank her school as well as colleagues who made the occasion a reality.

“Special thanks to the Chancellor for HBIU, Dr. Dornett McIntosh – a wonderful and courageous leader and motivator. To whom much is given, much is expected. With this award, I am motivated to do more. I dedicate this award to humanity as I hope and pray to continue.”

TheNewsGuru.com recalls that earlier, she was appointed as a professor and Head of the Department of Arts, Music and Entertainment at Heart Bible International University, United States.

The university is an accredited online Christian Institute through the Florida education department for religious studies.

She broke the news of her educational feat on Instagram.

Helen shared photos from her induction ceremony and congratulated her husband Femi Bamisile, who graduated with a Doctor of Law from the same institution.

Nike, the wife of Pastor Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Church, also bagged a Doctorate at the same institution.

September 4, 2022
Woman killed in alligator attack

A woman has been killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina, coastal Southeastern region of the United States.

According to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, the attack occurred on Monday the large alligator was spotted “near the edge of a pond” in Sun City Hilton Head, an adult-only community, “guarding what was believed to be a person.”

Responders found the alligator and a dead person, the sheriff’s office said.

However, the victim has not been identified.

The alligator is still being recovered from the pond, according to the sheriff’s office.

Alligators are active during spring and summer because when temperatures rise, their metabolism increases and they look for food, Melody Kilborn, a spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission explained.

Kilborn urged people to follow these safety tips: alligators are most active at night, so only swim in designated swimming areas during daylight hours; never feed an alligator; and keep your pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge.

TheNewsGuru.com reports that an alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae.

The two extant species are the American alligator (mississippiensis) and the Chinese alligator (sinensis).

Additionally, several extinct species of alligator are known from fossil remains. Alligators first appeared during the Oligocene epoch about 37 million years ago.

The name “alligator” is probably an anglicized form of el lagarto, the Spanish term for “the lizard”, which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator.[2] Later English spellings of the name included allagarta and alagarto.

Alligators and caimans split in North America during the early Tertiary or late Cretaceous (about 53 million to about 65 million years ago).

The Chinese alligator split from the American alligator about 33 million years ago and likely descended from a lineage that crossed the Bering land bridge during the Neogene.

The modern American alligator is well represented in the fossil record of the Pleistocene.

August 16, 2022
12-year-old who shot Nigerian mother dead in US remains with family

A 12-year-old Nigerian boy has killed his mother, Ayobiyi Cook, after he accidentally discharged a firearm at their home in Forestdale, Alabama, United States.

It was gathered that the firearm struck and killed his 29-year-old mom on Monday.

His father, Djuan, a policeman, was said to be at work when the incident happened.

A statement from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the boy had initially lied to detectives about the cause of his mother’s death after cops arrived at the scene some minutes past midnight.

The 12-year-old Nigerian was reported to have said an intruder broke into the house, shot his mother and fled.

But on further investigation of the killing, he reportedly admitted to killing his mother.

The statement read in part, “The child originally fabricated a story that detectives determined was not possible; the child eventually gave a true account of what happened.

“The boy’s family, who he will remain with, has been cooperative. The case will be addressed through the family court system.”

A prior statement by the Jefferson County deputies stated that there had been no forced entry into the home when they arrived at the scene.

It read, “On Saturday, August 6, 2022, at 12:10am, Jefferson County Deputies received a 911 call for help at a residence in the 2400 block of Freemont Avenue in the Forestdale community. Deputies arrived and found a 29-year-old woman deceased on the scene.

“There appeared to be no forced entry into the home and a man was seen fleeing from the residence shortly before the 911 call was made. Sheriff’s detectives were able to recover evidence on the scene and are continuing to investigate.”

The deceased’s husband, Djuan, in a Facebook post, said Ayobiyi was known as “Yo” or “YoYo.

He wrote, “The funeral arrangements would be held on August 12. Orange was Yo’s favourite colour so feel free to wear it as we celebrate her life.”

August 11, 2022
HORRIFIC: Human tragedy, as 46 migrants found dead in Texas (PHOTOS)

The bodies of at least 46 people believed to be migrants who crossed into the United States from Mexico were found dead on Monday in and around a tractor-trailer that had been abandoned on the outskirts of San Antonio.

12 adults and 4 children were taken to local hospitals with heat-related injuries.

The survivors were “hot to the touch” and suffering from heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

San Antonio, which is 250km (150 miles) from the US-Mexican border, is a major transit route for people smugglers.

Human traffickers often use lorries to transport undocumented migrants after meeting them in remote areas once they have managed to cross into the United States.

“They had families…and were likely trying to find a better life,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. “It’s nothing short of a horrific, human tragedy.”

Texas emergency responders initially arrived at the scene at about 18:00 local time (23:00 GMT) after responding to reports of a dead body, San Antonio fire chief Charles Hood told reporters.

“We’re not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there. None of us come to work imagining that,” he said.

He added that the vehicle, which had been abandoned by its driver, had no working air conditioning and there was no drinking water inside it.

Mexico’s Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, said that two Guatemalans were among those taken to hospital. The nationalities of the other victims was not immediately clear.

Three people are being held in custody and the investigation has been handed over to federal agents.

Law enforcement vehicles and some police tape have cordoned off a dark road.

Texas Governor Greg blamed the deaths on President Joe Biden.

See photos below:

Temperatures in San Antonio, which is about 160 miles (250 km) from the Mexican border, swelled to a high of 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius) on Monday with high humidity.

The city’s Police Chief William McManus said a person who works in a nearby building heard a cry for help and came out to investigate. The worker found the trailer doors partially opened and looked inside and found a number of dead bodies.

McManus said this was the largest incident of its kind in the city and said three people were in custody following the incident, though their involvement is not yet clear.

A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that its Homeland Security Investigations division was investigating “an alleged human smuggling event” in coordination with local police.

Record Crossings

The deaths once again highlight the challenge of controlling migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, which have reached record highs.

The issue has proven difficult for U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat who came into office in January 2021 pledging to reverse some of the hardline immigration policies of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump. Republicans have criticized Biden’s border strategy ahead of the midterm congressional elections in November.

Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called the suffocation of the migrants in the truck the “tragedy in Texas” on Twitter and said consular officials would go to the hospitals where victims had been taken to help “however possible.”

A spokesman for the Honduran foreign ministry told Reuters the country’s consulates in Houston and Dallas would be investigating the incident. Ebrard said two Guatemalans were hospitalized and Guatemala’s foreign ministry said on Twitter that consular officials were going to the hospital “to verify if there are two Guatemalan minors there and what condition they are in.”

The I-35 highway near where the truck was found runs through San Antonio from the Mexican border and is a popular smuggling corridor because of the large volume of truck traffic, according to Jack Staton, a former senior official with ICE’s investigative unit who retired in December.

Staton said migrants have regularly been intercepted in the area since the 2017 incident.

“It was only a matter of time before a tragedy like this was going to happen again,” he said.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that in July 2017, 10 migrants died after being transported in a tractor-trailer that was discovered by San Antonio police in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

The driver, James Matthew Bradley, Jr., was sentenced the following year to life in prison for his role in the smuggling operation.

June 28, 2022
OTOBO: Police finds body of missing Nigerian ambassador in New York

The body of a former Nigerian diplomat, Ambassador Ejeviome Otobo, who was last seen in the community on June 15, has been found by the Police in Tuckahoe, New York, United States.

The Tuckahoe Police Department on June 19 announced in a Facebook post that Otobo was missing and requested information from the public.

Otobo, who was 70-year-old at the of his death, served as the Director and Deputy Head, Peacebuilding Support Office at the United Nations headquarters in New York between December 2006 and October 2013.

On June 24, the police announced that Otobo had been found dead and sent condolences to his family.

A statement by the police department read, “The Tuckahoe Police Department regrets to inform members of the community that Mr. Ejeviome Otobo was located yesterday afternoon and is deceased.

TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls that the Ambassador was last seen on June 15, 2022.

“We would like to thank those of you who offered tips and tried to assist with the investigation. Our thoughts go out to the Otobo Family during this difficult time,” the statement asserted.

Until his death, he was a Non-Resident Senior Fellow in Peacebuilding and Global Economic Policy at the Global Governance Institute in Brussels, Belgium.

From February to August 2009, Otobo acted as the Assistant Secretary-General at the UN.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration (with international political economy, as an area of policy concentration) from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Otobo was member of the Prime Business Africa Editorial Board.

The widely-read scholar and diplomat suddenly went missing on June 15, 2022. In the US where he lived with his family, the Tuckahoe Police Department on June 19 had announced in a Facebook post that Otobo was missing and requested information from the public.

Sadly, On June 24, the police announced that Etobo had been found dead and sent condolences to his family.

The post read: “The Tuckahoe Police Department regrets to inform members of the community that Mr. Ejeviome Otobo was located yesterday afternoon and is deceased. We would like to thank those of you who offered tips and tried to assist with the investigation. Our thoughts go out to the Otobo Family during this difficult time.”

Until his death, he was a Non-Resident Senior Fellow in Peacebuilding and Global Economic Policy at the Global Governance Institute in Brussels, Belgium. Importantly, Otobo was on the Board of Newstide Publications Limited, publishers of Prime Business Africa, PBA.

Otobo (born 1951) in Otibio-Owhe (Otor Igho), Isoko North LGA, Delta State of Nigeria. He is residing in New York, USA and he is currently a Non-Resident Senior Fellow in Peacebuilding and Global Economic Policy at the Global Governance Institute, Brussels, Belgium.

He had previously held the position of Director and Deputy Head, United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) of the Peacebuilding Commission at the United Nations Headquarters, New York City,(Dec. 1st, 2006 – Oct. 31st, 2013), He was succeeded by Mr. Kenny Gluck.

Otobo served as Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support, United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) (Feb. 2nd, 2009 – Aug. 31st, 2009), between the departure of Dr. Jane Holl Lute and the appointment of Ms. Judy Cheng-Hopkins. At this position, he assisted in developing peacebuilding strategies, which included issues of governance reforms and economic reforms for countries on the agenda of the PBC (Burundi, Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone); and supervised the work related to the follow-up, monitoring and periodic reporting on the implementation of the peacebuilding strategies.

Before joining PBSO, he served in various departments of the United Nations, including the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA) in New York City; UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in New York; and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. At ECA, DESA and OSAA, Mr. Otobo worked on economic policy issues, encompassing economic reforms, international and regional trade, foreign direct investment and corporate governance.He served as the ex-officio Secretary to the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Panel on International Support for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)-2004-2006.

He contributed to African Development Bank’s African Development Report 2001on fostering good governance in Africa. African Development Bank’s African Development Report, 2007 on Natural Resource for Sustainable development in Africa. His commentaries on Africa and international issues have been published by The Guardian (of Nigeria), This Day, Premium Times, Financial Times and Jeune Afrique.

Otobo joined the United Nations after a distinguished career in the diplomatic service of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. During the course of his diplomatic career, he served on the Policy Planning Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Office of The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Nigeria), represented Nigeria in several countries, and participated in various bilateral political and multilateral economic negotiations. In recognition of his contribution to Nigeria’s diplomacy and foreign policy, he was appointed ambassador-in-situ.

The Ambassador served as an Honorary Member of Advisory Board for the World Conflict Report 2012 and, from 2014 to 2016, served as a member of the External Experts Advisory Board of the Informing Conflict Prevention, Resolution and Response: The Role of Media in Violent Conflict (INFOCORE)Project called the Seventh Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development which was funded by the European Union.

June 26, 2022
U.S. Justice Department charges 11 Nigerians with online fraud

Nine Nigerians arrested Wednesday
Eleven Nigerians were indicted by U.S. Justice Department Wednesday with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Patrick J. Freaney, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Secret Service announced the unsealing of the indictment.

As alleged in the indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court, some of the 11 Nigerians were identified as Adedayo John, Oluwadamilola Akinpelu, Kazeem Raheem, Morakinyo Gbeyide and Warris Adenuga a.k.a Blue.

There were also Smart Agunbiade, Lateef Goloba, Samsondeen Goloba, Olawale Olaniyan, Olawoyin Peter Olanrewaju and Emmanuel Oronsaye-Ajayi.

They were all collectively accused of participating in one or both of a money laundering conspiracy and bank fraud conspiracy, which received funds stolen from victims.

The charge was in connection with their involvement in laundering millions of dollars in proceeds derived from business email compromises and romance fraud schemes.

Nine defendants were arrested Wednesday in the District of New Jersey and the Eastern District of New York, and were presented before United States Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in the Southern District of New York.

One defendant was arrested in the Southern District of Texas, and was presented in that district’s federal court.

One defendant remains at large.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, the defendants were part of a criminal enterprise that not only defrauded businesses by assuming the online identities of legitimate counterparties, but also preyed on vulnerable elderly people, deceiving victims into sending money in phony romance scams. Thanks to the Secret Service, the defendants are now facing federal felony charges.”

October 14, 2021