A Fort Riley soldier has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Topeka for his alleged role in a romance scheme that netted approximately $150,000 in fraud claims from at least 25 individuals.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 24-year-old Innocent Ugwu, of Fort Riley, is charged with five counts of wire fraud, five counts of laundering monetary instruments and one count of procurement of citizenship or naturalization unlawfully. Court documents say the scheme happened for an undetermined amount of time up until January 2021.
Ugwu is accused of conspiring with others to defraud money from individuals in the United States using false pretenses and promises, and the omission of material facts to carry out romance, advance fee and other fraudulent schemes.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service are investigating the case.
