USL League One Player Charged In "Romance Scam" Fraud Case
Abdul Osumanu of Union Omaha charged with fraud in fake profile "romance scam"
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A player on Omaha’s pro soccer team has been indicted on federal charges accusing him of defrauding people in internet romance scams.
Abdul Osumanu, 24, of Ghana, is charged with two counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy and receipt of stolen money in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
Osumanu is a starting defender for the Union Omaha on USL League One, starting in the team’s first five matches until he was arrested May 27. Federal prosecutors said Osumanu and another man created a fake online profile in 2017, pretending to be a woman, and convinced two people to send them more than $200,000 in the years since.
Osumanu is one of nine men accused in West Virginia of participating in separate romance and other online scams that defrauded at least 200 people of more than $2.5 million, prosecutors said earlier this week.
Peter Marlette, the general manager for Union Omaha, said Osumanu has been removed from team activities, including practices and games, pending the outcome of his court proceedings. Osumanu has not been released from the team, Marlette said.
Osumanu’s public defender did not return a call Wednesday to the World-Herald.