Irish Court Jails Nigerian Man Over €49,000 Romance Scam
- Mar 7
- 2 min read
A court in Dublin has sentenced a Nigerian national, Edward Evbagharu, to one year in prison after he was found guilty of facilitating a romance scam that defrauded a victim of nearly €49,000.
Evbagharu, 46, admitted to allowing his bank accounts to be used for money laundering linked to the fraud. The offence occurred between February and June 2021 and was heard at the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Investigations revealed that the victim, a French national, had been deceived by a woman he met on an online dating platform. The woman claimed to be from Saudi Arabia but said she was living in Texas as a refugee. She reportedly told the victim that she could not access €5 million held in an Irish bank account due to her immigration status.
Believing the story, the victim agreed to communicate with individuals presented as her legal representatives. Over several months, he transferred money to assist with what he believed were legal and administrative expenses.
Authorities told the court that a total of €49,188 was transferred during the scheme, with none of the funds recovered. About €31,000 of the amount passed through three accounts linked to Evbagharu, including accounts with An Post, Ria Money Transfer and TransferWise. However, investigators said the accounts were operated by two other individuals involved in the scam.
The victim eventually grew suspicious and contacted a solicitor in France after suspecting he had been deceived.
During the trial, Evbagharu’s lawyer told the court that his client had worked as a security guard for about 16 years and had been paying taxes and social contributions in Ireland. The defence also noted that he had moved to Ireland in 2009 and became an Irish citizen in 2013. He is a father of six children.
The court was informed that Evbagharu had 11 prior convictions, including one for handling stolen goods and several related to traffic offences.
Delivering judgment, Judge Dara Hayes said there was no evidence that Evbagharu personally carried out the fraud but concluded that he had facilitated the laundering of the stolen funds through his bank accounts.
The judge initially imposed a two-year sentence but suspended the second year, meaning Evbagharu will serve one year in prison.
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