Nadine Jazimne Wade has been sentenced to 63 months in prison for laundering over $2 million acquired from romance fraud schemes. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, who also presided over the trial where Wade was convicted of money laundering and bank fraud.
“Nadine Wade used lies and deception to launder over two million dollars for scam artists in Nigeria and South Africa,” stated U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Those funds were stolen from our most vulnerable – elderly men and women — as part of a cruel romance scam. Today’s sentence should be a reminder that this Office will pursue all persons who participate in online scams targeting our elderly.”
The fraudulent activities occurred between 2016 and 2021, involving co-conspirators based in Nigeria and South Africa who executed romance scams on individuals across the United States. Using aliases such as “Diego Francisco” and “Richard Francisco,” they engaged victims through dating websites, eventually convincing them to transfer money to accounts controlled by Wade.
Wade received these funds into personal and business accounts linked to her shell company, Royal Treasure Chest LLC, which claimed involvement in selling women’s clothing and accessories. She quickly withdrew or utilized the funds through various means before transferring most of it to other scheme participants after taking her share.
During this period, Wade managed more than 18 bank accounts with deposits exceeding $2 million, primarily from wire transfers and check or cash deposits made by U.S.-based victims of the scam.
In addition to her prison term, Wade, aged 30 from Bronx, New York, received three years of supervised release. She was ordered to pay restitution amounting to $1,772,618 and forfeit $2,261,791.
U.S. Attorney Clayton commended the efforts of the U.S. Secret Service and Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division in this case. The prosecution is being managed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Micah F. Fergenson, Matthew J. King, Dina McLeod with support from Paralegal Specialist Jayda Foote under the Office’s General Crimes Unit.
