New Jersey man sentenced to six years for real estate, romance scams

A New Jersey man was sentenced to prison for his role in a scam that bilked three victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars,  including one who lost nearly $500,000 in a real estate schemes.

Christopher Akeme, a 39-year-old resident of Sicklerville, was sentenced to six years in prison for laundering money in a scheme that defrauded three victims of nearly $1.5 million, the New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in a press release.

One victim lost $491,645 when she sent money for a supposed condominium investment scam that also had a romance component, according to the release.

Another victim was deceived by a romance scam, losing $926,000 in retirement savings and investment accounts. She believed she was financially aiding a non-existent overseas development project and medical expenses for a fictitious romantic partner.  A third victim lost $116,600 in an attempt to release purported unclaimed funds in a Spanish bank account.

The sentencing, announced by, took place on Sept. 15, in the Camden court, presided over by New Jersey Superior Court Judge Gwendolyn Blue. 

Akeme was also ordered to pay restitution totaling $1.4 million to the victims. Akeme previously pleaded guilty on May 26 to one count of financial facilitation of criminal activity. 

In his plea, Akeme acknowledged his participation in a scheme that targeted vulnerable individuals, defrauding them of substantial sums and laundering the ill-gotten gains.  He would receive the funds in his U.S. bank accounts before forwarding them to various accounts in Nigeria.

“This defendant shamelessly exploited vulnerable victims in the United States and abroad using a variety of scams,” Platkin said in the release. “This prosecution serves as notice that New Jersey will not be a haven for fraud. We will bring fraudsters to justice, even if the victims are across the nation or the world.”