Manchester man led 'money mule ring'
Aug. 9—A native of Nigeria who has lived in Manchester and New Haven and is described by a federal prosecutor as the leader of a "money mule ring" that transmitted money defrauded from elderly victims to people in Nigeria, was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison, authorities say.
Farouq Fasasi, 28, who has lived for the past four years with family members at 25 Bliss St. in Manchester, was convicted in February by a federal jury in Bridgeport of mail fraud, three counts of money laundering, and conspiring to commit those crimes and wire fraud.
The 14-year sentence imposed by Judge Stefan R. Underhill was far less than the more than 19 years recommended by federal guidelines but more than the minimum of 12 years sought by prosecutors and far more than the sentence without prison time sought by Fasasi's lawyer.
After he is released from prison, Fasasi will be on supervised release, which is similar to probation, for three years.
The frauds that produced the money Fasasi handled were primarily lottery and romance scams targeting elderly victims.
"Fasasi and his coconspirators defrauded more than 200 victims, stealing more than $5 million, leaving many of the victims destitute and mentally in anguish," trial prosecutor Heather Cherry wrote in her sentencing memorandum. Victims lost "savings, retirement funds, homes, and other assets," she wrote.
The judge ordered Fasasi to pay more than $5.9 million in restitution.
In a lottery scam, the fraudsters notify victims that they have won the lottery, then say that they will have to pay for things like taxes, shipping, and processing to collect the prize. When victims provide small amounts of money, the fraudsters ask for more but never deliver a prize, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery wrote in a statement.
In romance scams, fraudsters create fake online profiles "that include false personal details such as the death of a spouse, or military service, to lure victims to trust them," Avery continued. "Once they have gained the trust of victims, scammers will ask victims for money, falsely claiming to need money for medical or business emergencies, for travel to see the victim, or other purposes."
Fasasi and co-conspirators "lived together for a time at a residence on Sherman Avenue in New Haven, where many packages containing cash, checks, and money orders from victims were delivered," Avery wrote.
"Fasasi was the first of the defendants to join the conspiracy and then, after learning of an FBI investigation, tried to shield himself from criminal culpability by recruiting others," Cherry wrote.
In February and March 2017, a victim mailed three $10,000 cashiers' checks to Fasasi, which he deposited into his personal bank account, the prosecutor explained. FBI agents questioned him about those deposits in fall 2017, and he responded by giving misleading statements and "feigned ignorance of the scam," according to Cherry.
Instead of being deterred by the law-enforcement attention, he started using other people's names and bank accounts to continue the fraud, the prosecutor wrote.
Defense lawyer Richard P. Silverstein wrote in his sentencing memo that Fasasi grew up in Nigeria, so poor that he and his family would eat only once a day. Fasasi reported that gang members started targeting him when he was as young as 6, adding that he never joined a gang and took many beatings as a result, Silverstein wrote.
Fasasi remains free on $200,000 bond. The judge gave him until Sept. 21 to report to prison.
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