HOUSTON – A 30-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison after pretending to be a United States soldier and scamming several people out of money, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Ganiyu Abayomi Jimoh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud on Aug. 1, 2022.
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On Monday, U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen ordered Jimoh to serve 36 months in federal prison, which will immediately be followed by three years of probation. Jimoh was also ordered to pay $405,427.80 in restitution.
At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence, including that at least one of the victims was an 84-year-old man who was scammed out of money by an online “girlfriend,” and how $13,500 of his losses were deposited into accounts Jimoh opened.
In 2019, Jimoh began working with co-conspirators pretending to be U.S. military soldiers deployed to Afghanistan. Authorities said they would solicit victims wishing to assist soldiers stationed overseas and persuade them to contribute money toward non-existent real estate deals.
As part of his plea, Jimoh admitted to using counterfeit passports to open bank accounts to receive funds from the victims for his personal benefit.
Jimoh will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman prosecuted the case.