World News
How a 77-year-old man who has investigated fraud for the US government lost $600,000 in a romance fraud from Ghana
He was a former Foreign Service officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development who had received awards for identifying waste, fraud and abuse in the government.
By 2019, he was 77, retired and living in Annandale, Va. He had dreams of moving to a beach where he could spoil his grandchildren. Then he connected on a dating app with someone he believed was a widow in her 30s. A year later, he had lost over $600,000 to a Ghana-based ring of scammers, his retirement account was drained and he was left “financially decimated,” his son wrote in a court filing.
“It did not matter when [he] revealed that his credit was ruined, that he could not afford to pay for medical insurance, his bills, or even his medications,” the man’s son wrote. He said the scammers “took advantage of an elderly man with declining physical and mental health, showing no remorse in trying to extract the maximum amount possible for him at every turn.”
Linda Mbimadong and Richard Broni were sentenced in Alexandria federal court Friday to 36 months and 19 months in prison, respectively, for laundering money for the scammers in exchange for a cut of the proceeds.
“This was really an ageless, classic confidence game that has played out over modern social media,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Carlberg said in court.
Prosecutors said Mbimadong and Broni were small players in a large operation that used a variety of tricks, including promised romances, to prey on vulnerable, older Americans. The scheme was sophisticated enough that it included fake online biographies for the participants, who posed as lawyers, accountants, diplomats and other successful people who had gotten into sudden financial trouble. Other scammers would post as lawyers or financial planners to add legitimacy to the requests. They would press victims for personal information and then use those details to exploit them.
Prosecutors have identified two dozen victims of the conspiracy. Nationwide, the Federal Trade Commission says, reports of romance-related scams have been rising exponentially, from $87 million in losses in 2017 to $547 million last year.
What’s “particularly deplorable,” Carlberg said, is that the scammers pressed for “everything these people have,” persuading them to drain retirement accounts and take out loans on their homes and cars. When they ran out of money, Carlberg said, they sometimes stole the victims’ identities to open new credit card accounts or to create new fake online dating profiles.
While the two defendants were not involved in those deceptions, they accepted some of the profits and provided a conduit to co-conspirators overseas.
The Annandale man told the scammers he was so depressed that he was considering suicide, the son wrote, but they continued to coerce him into sending more money. Along with over $400,000 in cash, he spent $200,000 on Apple products for the conspirators that prosecutors say were sold in Ghana. He has since been diagnosed with dementia.
The victim’s children contacted law enforcement in April 2020, starting the investigation that led to the convictions of Broni and Mbimadong.
Judge T.S. Ellis said the sentences would have been much harsher if not for their cooperation in identifying the perpetrators of the scheme, who he expressed hope would be arrested “promptly.” Broni and Mbimadong took about 10 percent of the proceeds in exchange for moving money and products from the victims to the ringleaders.
“I was surprised at how many [victims] there were,” the Annandale victim, who asked not to be identified by name, said outside federal court in Alexandria on Friday. Another victim, according to court records, is a professional psychologist.
“I was played as an openhearted idiot, and that’s what I became,” wrote another victim, who lost her retirement savings to a man she thought was a doctor working in Afghanistan. “This has been a terrible way to learn not to trust.”
Through tears, Mbimadong told the judge that while she knew she was involved in fraud, she was unaware the violations were so cruelly intimate.
“I did not know a lot of what was going on,” she said. “I just looked the other way.” She has agreed to pay $1.3 million to the victims. Broni, who was less culpable, will pay $87,000.
Broni and Mbimadong live in New York and had been romantically involved. Neither had any criminal record; Mbimadong has a master’s degree in public health and was pursuing a PhD at Rutgers University.
“She could have pursued a different course in life,” the Annandale victim said, “instead of defrauding people.”
Culled from The Washington Post
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A legend known to cinephiles the world over, a major work of the silent era, one of the most monumental restorations in the history of filmmaking will be unveiled on May 14 as a world premiere: Napoléon by Abel Gance (1st period), in a version resulting from a colossal, passionate effort by the Cinémathèque française, with the support of the CNC.
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In this groundbreaking collaboration, Davido will spearhead artist development, A&R, and behind-the-scenes curation, nurturing a pioneering lineup of artists across the continent under Nine+ Records. United by a shared vision, the teams will work together to introduce and foster talent, amplifying Davido’s influence and extending his reach even further. This partnership marks a pivotal moment in shaping the future of African and world music.
Together, the teams will collaborate closely in order to not only introduce, but cultivate career talent. It only expands Davido’s influence and reach.
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Of today’s announcement Davido said, “I couldn’t be more proud to partner with Steve and the team at United Masters, this announcement represents an exciting new chapter for developing and established artists around the world.”
Steve Stoute, Founder and CEO of UnitedMasters states, “Over the last 2 years, we’ve proven our commitment to Africa investing in artists, education, and technology. Today, we are doubling down. With this new venture with Davido & the launch of Nine Plus Records, we reinforce our mission in becoming a bridge for artists on the continent. Together we’ll identify & develop new artists while supporting them with brand and synch opportunities.”
Nine+ Records will be announcing more artists and partners in the future.
Last night, Davido just sold out one of the most iconic venues in the world, headlining Madison Square Garden in New York City. He ignited the stage with what will be remembered as a historic set, bringing Afrobeats to the Big Apple in the biggest way possible. In advance of the show, he extensively spoke to Billboard who praised how “Performing in New York has also become a special ritual” for him.
This news also arrives on the heels of various major company announcements for UnitedMasters. The company locked down a high-profile alliance with SymphonyOS and Groover. Plus, it hosted its annual “A Celebration of Independence” GRAMMY® Concert at the Palladium in Hollywood, CA. The show boasted an all-star lineup, including headliner Davido, Uncle Waffles, Tokischa, Donavan’s Yard, and NLE Choppa. Of the latter, The Source wrote, “This marked the first time UnitedMasters featured international acts, solidifying its impact and representation within the global independent artist movement.”
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An unprecedented pairing since French actress Emmanuelle Béart and director and songwriter Baloji, who evolves in Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo, have never met. She has worked with some of the world’s greatest filmmakers, dazzling both screen and stage with her incandescent performance. He is a bold, visionary creator, who made two short films before receiving the New Voice Prize at Un Certain Regard in 2023 for his acclaimed debut feature Omen.
An obvious pairing as both are free spirits with no limits, who rely on their art to achieve creative freedom. Through her impressive filmography and her humanitarian commitment, Emmanuelle Béart is forever supporting a filmmaking to be shared, to emancipate, transcend borders and help us live together. Baloji, in his first feature film with impressive aesthetic mastery, delivers a chronicle that transcends otherness through the prism of magical realism.
Delighted to be paired at the head of the Caméra d’or Jury, Baloji and Emmanuelle Béart will combine their voices to welcome the first features of filmmakers who look at the world with inspiration, tell us about it with emotion and invite us to discuss it with the conviction of beginnings. “Being a self-taught filmmaker and a filmmaker from the Congolese diaspora,” confides Baloji, “it’s a great honour to be able to witness the vitality of first-time directors, to discover their strong singularities and their inaugural work, which will have a lasting impact on the identity of their filmography.” Emmanuelle Béart declares: “A first film is about the impossibility of doing anything other than delving into the depths of one’s being to find out what we can’t keep quiet about. A deeply moving and terribly free birth: no one is waiting for you yet. We will honor our duty with wonder and respect.”
The Caméra d’or Jury has been co-chaired three times before: by actress Françoise Fabian and director Daniel Schmid in 1996, by Marthe Keller and Géraldine Chaplin in 2002, and by brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne in 2006.
In 2023, the Caméra d’Or was awarded to Pham Thien An for Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell by the Jury presided over by French actress Anaïs Demoustier
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