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Mass. man pleads guilty in $1 million online dating wire fraud scheme

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A Canton man pleaded guilty to his role in an online dating wire fraud scheme in which he used fake dating profiles to deceive victims into sending him approximately $1 million in fraud proceeds.

In Boston federal court Friday, Mark Arome Okuo, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud in connection with the online dating scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts. Okuo was originally arrested in connection with the online dating conspiracy and charged by criminal complaint in March 2021 and subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2021. He has been detained since his arrest.

Prosecutors accused Okuo and several other individuals of creating fake profiles on online dating and social media websites. Okuo and his co-conspirators reportedly used these fraudulent profiles to gain the trust of potential victims and subsequently directed those victims into transferring money to their bank accounts under false pretenses.

Additionally, officials stated that Okuo used fake passports in the names of aliases to open bank accounts in and around Boston to receive the proceeds of the romance scams. Okuo then performed large cash withdrawals from those accounts, generally structured in amounts less than $10,000, in an effort to evade detection, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts.

Okuo reportedly used at least four different aliases to open more than a dozen fraudulent bank accounts and receive approximately $1 million in fraud proceeds, officials said.

U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled Okuo’s sentencing for March 29, 2023.

The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts

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