wedding canceled after couple arrested for alleged $3 million fraud

A wedding planned for Saturday took a dramatic turn when soon-to-be-married couple Darlington Akporugo, 46, and Jasmin Sood, 35, were arrested on charges of defrauding elderly Americans of more than $3 million through to online romance scams.

Information provided on the website regarding the wedding revealed that the ceremony was scheduled to take place on May 25 in Houston, Texas.

According to the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas, Akporugo and Sood allegedly conspired for more than seven years, targeting widows on social media and dating platforms.

A USAO statement in April said: “A Nigerian man who resided in Fulshear is expected to appear in court on allegations that he conspired to defraud more than a dozen elderly Americans who believed they were having romantic relationships online and allegedly sent millions to a network of fraudsters. , announced US Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

“Darlington Akporugo, 46, is scheduled to appear for a 9 a.m. detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison. Akporugo allegedly conspired with Jasmin Sood, 35, also of Fulshear, to commit wire and mail fraud.

The statement further mentioned that the fraudulent act took place between 2015 and 2022, as they cultivated trust with their targets, eventually persuading them to transfer substantial sums of money to various accounts, which were allegedly controlled by Akporugo and Sood.

He claimed to have defrauded no fewer than 13 victims of $3,123,073, and a forfeiture notice was issued for all illegally acquired proceeds from the scam.

It said: “The indictment also charges Akporugo with aggravated identity theft and access device fraud.

“This scheme allegedly resulted in the defrauding of at least 13 victims of approximately $3,123,073. The indictment includes a notice of forfeiture of all proceeds illegally derived from the fraudulent scheme.

The indictment reveals that if convicted, they both face up to 30 years in prison.

“If convicted, both face up to 30 years in prison on each of the wire fraud and conspiracy counts. Akporugo faces an additional 10 years for access device fraud and a mandatory additional two years if convicted of aggravated identity theft,” it added.