Authorities said one victim told the court the pair coerced her into buying a luxury vehicle and renting a mansion for them.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston-area couple was sentenced in what federal officials say was a "heartless" romance scheme targeting more than a dozen victims.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced that 47-year-old Darlington Akporugo and his wife, 37-year-old Jasmin Sood (also known as Jaslynn Washington), pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud.
Federal officials said the two were involved in a romance scheme targeting people nationwide, many of whom were elderly.
Akporugo received a 188-month sentence while Sood received 121 months. Officials stated that they must also serve three years of supervised release following their sentences and pay full restitution of $3,123,073.
Several victims testified about "the couple's persistent lies and false promises, which led them to send large sums of money," the U.S. attorney said.
One victim reportedly told the court the pair coerced her into buying a luxury vehicle and renting a mansion for them. Authorities said they arrested the couple while they were driving the victim's vehicle and living in her rented home.
Akporugo and Sood would allegedly target older women, including several widows.
Officials said Akporugo admitted to being a central figure in a long-running romance scheme based in Houston that targeted victims from Chicago to Kentucky. He and others allegedly lured victims through online romances and convinced them to send money to bank accounts he controlled. Sood would then allegedly create fake businesses and bank accounts under aliases and use disguises to deposit the funds.
Akporugo would reportedly tell the victims to send money through platforms like Facebook.
Authorities stated that they identified over 25 victims during the multi-year scheme, with total losses from the operation exceeding $3 million.
Both Akporugo and Sood will remain in custody before they're transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, officials said.