US: Zimbabwean woman found guilty of laundering $1.2m through online romance fraud

By US Media

UNITED STATES: A Zimbabwe national has been found guilty of laundering over $1 million through romance fraud schemes.

Sherlyn Sims, also known as “Sherlyn Dzinzi,” was found guilty after a five-day trial of conspiring to launder and laundering over $1.2 million from various romance fraud schemes and business email compromise methods.

She will be sentenced in November.

The jury’s decision concluded that Sims funnelled money from these computer-enabled crimes into bank accounts she controlled, and subsequently transferred, withdrew, and spent the funds.

“The fraud schemes that Sims perpetrated in this case have become an epidemic in this country,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.

“Our vulnerable elderly population are often targeted in these crimes, resulting in significant financial loss and unimaginable emotional suffering. The jury’s verdict has ended Sims’s attempts to evade culpability for the role that she played in carrying out these schemes.”

Sims, along with her co-defendants, set up sham businesses including Grace Trading, LLC, which was registered in Georgia.

These businesses lacked legitimate earnings, physical premises, and did not pay wages to employees.

Sims and her associates opened business bank accounts at institutions like J.P. Morgan Chase Bank and Bank of America, where fraud victims deposited their money.

Two days after Grace Trading’s registration, approximately $200,000 was deposited into its accounts by fraud victims.

Sims swiftly wired these funds to China and other countries, withdrew cash, and spent the remaining money.

Prosecutors said she ran several romance cons.

“Multiple romance fraud victims testified at trial,” U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia said in a press release.

“The victims recounted how they met male strangers online and were soon convinced they were in a romantic relationship with the men, even though the victims were in communication with the individuals for months without meeting in person.

“Often these men claimed that they wanted to start a life with the victims and were eager to live with them as soon as some kind of issue was resolved.

“For example, one romance fraud victim was persuaded to send nearly $100,000 to one of Sims’s accounts because her boyfriend (one of the men online) claimed that he was traveling to Boston but had been detained by customs officials and would not be released until his taxes were paid.

“This victim depleted her life savings and borrowed from friends and family trying to help the man pay his taxes and be released from detention.

FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley emphasized the broader impact of such crimes.

“This case serves as a reminder of the sophisticated methods employed by criminals and the need for vigilance in the digital age. The consequences of this type of fraud scheme are far-reaching, affecting not only people here in Georgia but also around the world,” Farley said.

Simms co-defendants were identified as Bright Eigbedion, 36, of Kearns, of Utah and Presley Ihimekpen, 37, of Duluth, Georgia.

Following a five-day trial, Sherlyn Sims, a/k/a “Sherlyn Dzinzi,” was found guilty by a jury of conspiring to launder, and laundering, proceeds generated from numerous romance fraud scams and business email compromise schemes. https://t.co/RlRUYTaBIW pic.twitter.com/pz3bGYMbLe

— US Attorney NDGA (@NDGAnews) August 6, 2024