Two Nigerian nationals, Olutayo Sunday Ogunlaja, 39, and Abel Adeyi Daramola, 37, have been convicted by a U.S. federal jury for orchestrating a $560,000 romance scam, facing up to 20 years in prison each. The conviction followed a four-day trial and a jury deliberation lasting under three hours.

According to a statement from U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez and FBI Albuquerque Field Office Special Agent Raul Bujanda, the Nigerian duo initiated the fraudulent scheme in January 2016 using a fake identity, “Glenn Brown,” on the dating site eHarmony.com. This fake profile was used to establish a romantic relationship with a victim based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Prosecutors revealed that, together with other accomplices, the two men tricked the victim into sending substantial sums of money under the pretense that it was necessary for “Glenn Brown” to complete a construction project in Malaysia and return safely to the U.S.

Between January 2016 and April 2017, the victim sent around $560,000 to various accounts in the U.S., Canada, and Malaysia. On one occasion, the victim wired approximately $28,000 to a Woodforest Bank account under the name “Daramola Cars,” a transaction that was allegedly directed by the fraudulent persona. Subsequently, Daramola transferred part of the funds to a seafood importer in Denmark and wrote a $14,000 check.

Despite Daramola denying his involvement, text messages on his phone revealed his active role in facilitating the scam by providing bank accounts for the fraudulent transactions. Ogunlaja’s involvement also came to light, with evidence showing he received fraudulent payments into his Bank of America account, including two $20,000 deposits from the victim in March 2016. After receiving the funds, Ogunlaja withdrew the cash and transferred it to Daramola.

The case adds to a troubling trend of Nigerians being implicated in large-scale romance scams targeting U.S. citizens. In a related report, two other Nigerians, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, were sentenced to a combined 30 years in prison for defrauding Americans of $3.5 million.