Texas man admits stealing over $1 million in a romance scam

ST. LOUIS (AP) –  A man from Texas has admitted that he helped steal $1.2 million from a woman from Missouri in a romance scam.

Federal prosecutors said 37-year-old Rotimi Oladimeji admitted during a plea hearing Monday that in August 2019 he and others began communicating with a woman in St. Louis who had created an online dating profile.

The woman believed she was communicating with a veterinarian and animal behaviorist who was a Belgian national living in St. Louis.

For several months, the woman sent money to the scammers, after being told the Belgian man needed money to get out of the United Arab Emirates. Two other men were accused of helping with the scam.