A Taunton man was sentenced Wednesday for his role in an online romance scam that bilked victims out of over $1.1 millionafter gaining their trust through fake online identities, according to the US Attorney’s office for Massachusets
Francis Okafor, 30, was sentenced to two years in prison and two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $1,130,285.
Okafor and others participated in a series of scams from approximately May 2018 through August 2021, the statement said.
His co-conspirators directed victims to send money to bank accounts that Okafor opened using false foreign passports with his photo and in the names of others, the statement said. His co-conspirators then withdrew the money from various bank branches and ATMs and wired the money overseas, the statement said.
In August 2022, Okafor pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud conspiracy.
Claire Law can be reached at claire.lae@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @claire_law_.
