Gaithersburg Man Pleads Guilty To Money Laundering Romance Scheme That Targeted Elderly & Vulnerable Victims
GREENBELT, Md. (WJZ) -- Officials announced that a Gaithersburg man has pleaded guilty to a money-laundering romance scheme where more than $6.2 million was laundered from over 200 victims.
Twenty-eight-year-old David Annor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection to a romance scheme that scammed elderly and isolated victims.
According to authorities, between May 2017 and October 2020, Annor participated in a romance scheme with his brother Lesley Annor. Together, they would target elderly victims online through social sites, dating sites, and email.
The two would allegedly convince the victims to trust them and instruct them to send money to bank accounts and physical addresses that were linked to the brothers and other co-conspirators.
They would often receive 10 percent of the victim's money and sent the remainder of the money to additional co-conspirators in Ghana.
Officials said over the course of the scheme, Annor and his co-conspirators laundered over $6,200,000 through nearly 34 bank accounts at 11 different financial institutions.
At least $3,909,396 in victim payments were made into personal and business bank accounts controlled by Annor.
Annor has been in custody since his arrest in November of 2020. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for money laundering.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 29 at 2 p.m.
