Douglasville man convicted of laundering $2.7 million stolen in romance, online scams
A Douglasville man has been convicted of laundering more than $2.7 million stolen from victims of romance scams and other online fraud schemes, including older adults who lost retirement savings, federal prosecutors said.
A jury on Thursday convicted 41-year-old Babajide Adesayo on all charges following an eight-day federal trial, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia. The charges include two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 16 counts of transactional money laundering.
Federal prosecutors said Adesayo helped move money through a transnational network that sent victims' funds overseas, primarily to China, Hong Kong and Nigeria. U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg described Adesayo as a key financial player in a network that targeted elderly victims and moved their savings beyond the reach of U.S. authorities.
How prosecutors say the scheme worked
According to information presented in court, fraudsters began communicating online with unsuspecting victims between April 2020 and September 2021, posing as friends, business associates or romantic partners.
After building relationships with the victims, prosecutors said the scammers asked them for money using false stories, including claims that they needed business equipment, had been imprisoned or were suffering from injuries or illnesses.
Victims were then directed to send hundreds of thousands of dollars, in some cases including retirement savings, to business accounts belonging to Adesayo's co-defendant, Nigerian national Efemena Igbe.
Prosecutors said Igbe transferred much of that money to Adesayo and disguised the transactions as payments for vehicles from Adesayo's automotive business. Adesayo then sent much of the money to accounts in China, Hong Kong, Nigeria and other countries. Over roughly 17 months, prosecutors said he received and moved more than $2.7 million in victim funds.
Prosecutors say the money laundering continued after his arrest
Adesayo was arrested in June 2024 and initially released on bond, but prosecutors said the money laundering continued while his case was pending.
Additional victims sent money either directly to Adesayo's business accounts or through other accounts that later transferred the funds to him, according to prosecutors. Authorities said Adesayo quickly withdrew or transferred that money after receiving it.
A federal magistrate judge later revoked his bond after authorities discovered the additional conduct. Adesayo has remained in federal custody since March 2, 2026.
The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case, with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement agencies in New Hampshire, Mississippi and New York.
Adesayo is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 20 before U.S. District Judge Mark H. Cohen. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each conspiracy count, up to 10 years on each transactional money laundering count and an additional consecutive sentence of up to 10 years for offenses committed while on release.
