Duluth Man Sentenced to Probation for Role in Online Frauds, Ordered to Pay Restitution

Emmanuel Ugabaja, a 56-year-old man from Duluth, Georgia, has been sentenced to a five-year probation term, including two years under house confinement following a guilty plea to money laundering charges, the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson declared. Ugabaja was implicated in a couple of internet-based frauds—a romance scam and an inheritance scam—that targeted individuals from Kansas and California, urging them to funnel money to a bank account under his control. In total, $60,000 of the illicitly obtained funds were redirected by Ugabaja to purchase a vessel through a local maritime broker.

As per the sentence handed down by United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion, Ugabaja is also required to pay restitution amounting to more than $97,000 to the two fraud victims along with an additional $135,000 to the Small Business Administration for uncharged CARES Act COVID-19 funding fraud. The consequences of these schemes extend beyond the criminal conviction; they amount to a tangible, deleterious impact on individuals and governmental institutions alike, leaving a trail of financial duress. According to a Justice Department press release, Ugabaja must also pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

The Department of Justice continues to actively pursue perpetrators involved in online scams, often orchestrated from abroad, that directly threaten U.S. citizens. This case against Ugabaja falls squarely within this broader endeavor, marking yet another incremental triumph in the seemingly Sisyphean struggle to curb such fraudulent activities. Citizens are urged to remain ever vigilant and to promptly report suspect online fraud or scams to the Federal Bureau of Investigation at their Internet Crime Complaint Center…

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