Dada wa Miss Tanzania 2006, Wema Sepetu, Sunna Sepetu (37) ametiwa mbaroni mjini Worcester, Massachusetts nchini Marekani baada ya kukutwa na hatia ya kula njama ya utakatishaji fedha zilizotokana na utapeli.
Mshtakiwa mwenzake, Nafise Quaye, (47) raia wa Nigeria ambaye pia anaishi Worcester, Massachusetts pia alitiwa hatiani kwa shtaka kama hilo kufuatia kesi ya siku nane katika mahakama ya shirikisho. Wawili hao wanakabiliwa na kifungo cha hadi miaka 20 jela.
Uamuzi huo ulitangazwa na Wakili wa Marekani Jane Young, ambaye alisisitiza dhamira ya Idara ya Sheria ya kuwashtaki wale wanaowezesha ulaghai wa mtandao unaolenga watu walio hatarini.
Kati ya 2013 na 2019, Sepetu na Quaye walidaiwa kupokea takriban $3.2 milioni (zaidi ya Tsh. 8 bilioni) kutoka kwa mwathiriwa wa ulaghai huko Texas.
Fedha hizo zilihamishiwa kwenye akaunti za benki zilizoanzishwa na washtakiwa kwa majina ya makampuni mbalimbali ya kandarasi.
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CONCORD – A man and woman from Worcester, Massachusetts were convicted today by a federal petit jury in Concord for conspiracy to launder wire fraud proceeds after an eight-day trial, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announces.
Nafise Quaye, 47, and Sunna Sepetu, 37, both of Worcester, Massachusetts were convicted of one count of conspiracy to money launder. United States District Court Judge Samantha Elliot scheduled sentencing for both defendants on July 8, 2024.
“This verdict demonstrates the seriousness with which the United States Department of Justice takes frauds committed against vulnerable people through the internet,” said United States Attorney Jane E. Young. “The defendants knowingly accepted millions of dollars in wire fraud proceeds from a vulnerable victim in the United States and sent those proceeds overseas to the fraud perpetrator. Prosecuting people in the United States who facilitate the execution of international frauds committed on the internet is essential to frustrating the networks that pray on vulnerable members of our society.”
Between 2013 and 2019, the defendants received approximately $3.2 million in proceeds from a fraud victim located in Texas. These proceeds were sent to bank accounts established by the defendants for various shell companies. The defendants then sent those fraud proceeds to the perpetrator of the fraud operating in Africa, while keeping a portion of the proceeds for themselves.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations within the United States Department of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Rombeau is prosecuting the case.
Source:
Federal Jury Convicts Worcester Couple of Conspiracy to Launder Wire Fraud Proceeds