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MEDFIELD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — On Thursday, a Medfield man was sentenced for fraud schemes that netted him several hundred thousand dollars from businesses and romance victims.
The District of Massachusetts United States Attorney's Office said that 41-year-old Paul Iwuanyanwu was sentenced to 30 months in prison and two years of supervised release for his connection in an international business email compromise scheme that defrauded companies of almost $900,000. The defendant was also sentenced on his involvement in a separate romance fraud scheme that stole at least $7,000 from his victims.
Officials said that Iwuanyanwu pleaded guilty to wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, and unlawful monetary transactions on October 27, 2021.
According to law enforcement, the defendant had breached the email systems of companies, installing computer programs that diverted company emails to accounts managed by himself and his accessories.
All emails were first routed through the conspiracy's email accounts, where he could then view and respond to messages as if he was a company representative, officials said. In total, Iwuanyanwu redirected more than $850,000 in payments intended for legitimate business.
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Officials said that for his romance scheme, the defendant would use fraudulent online relationships to deceive victims and persuade them to send money to himself and others. According to law enforcement, victims had wired at least $6,000 to accounts controlled by Iwuanyanwu and sent at least $1,000 in money orders to him.
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