HOUSTON – A 38-year-old Richmond woman now faces charges after authorities allege she operated as a “money mule” in a nationwide romance fraud scheme for several years, the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas announced on Tuesday.
U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said Akua Dufie is expected to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison at 2 p.m.
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On Feb. 16, a federal grand jury returned the seven-count superseding indictment adding Dufie to an existing case against her co-conspirator, Kenneth Anim, 39, a dual citizen of Ghana and the United States who is currently in federal custody awaiting trial on these charges. Documents show the amounts transferred from accounts were in the tens of thousands of dollars, spanning through 2014 through 2019.
From 2014 to 2019, federal authorities said Dufie and Anim allegedly created individual sham businesses. The charges allege they operated as money mules in relation to various mail and wire fraud schemes, including internet fraud and romance scams.
Authorities said Dufie and Anim also allegedly opened and maintained bank accounts to collect proceeds from the schemes and to send the money to themselves, co-conspirators and overseas.
If convicted, Dufie and Anim face up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $500,000 maximum fine.
The FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek and Grace Murphy are prosecuting the case.