Educator Convicted of Money Laundering in International Romance Scam

Strategic Insights -

A Learning Support Educator, Annabelle Azzopardi, has been convicted of money laundering and receiving proceeds of crime for her involvement in an international romance scam targeting an elderly Maltese woman. The scam tricked 70-year-old Maria Fatima Zahra into sending £38,650 to various bank accounts by a man posing as an American doctor stationed in Yemen. Azzopardi, 44, received £4,950 and transferred it abroad, despite having suspected the illicit origin of the funds. Her boyfriend, Sunny Ogiewomgi, a Nigerian national living in Greece, instructed her to send the money to a woman named Ella Shevela, allegedly a Ukrainian colleague. Investigators discovered the transfers were part of a wider scam network.

Key Takeaways:

  • Azzopardi was found guilty of money laundering and receiving proceeds of crime after transferring £4,950 linked to an international romance scam.
  • The scam targeted 70-year-old Maria Fatima Zahra, who was tricked into sending £38,650 to various bank accounts.
  • Azzopardi received five payments totalling £4,950, which she transferred abroad under the instruction of her boyfriend, Sunny Ogiewomgi.
  • Azzopardi admitted she had grown uneasy about the transactions but failed to report them or return the money.
  • The court held that Azzopardi could not have reasonably overlooked the suspicious nature of the transactions, given her education and the pattern of foreign transfers.
  • Azzopardi was handed a 14-month prison term, suspended for three years, and ordered to reimburse Zahra the £4,950 in question.
  • The funds were confiscated by the State, and Azzopardi was also ordered to pay £2,895.72 in court and expert fees.
  • Azzopardi's lack of remorse was cited as a reason for the deterrent sentence, alongside her failure to verify obvious red flags.

Statistics:

  • £38,650: the amount of money tricked from Maria Fatima Zahra by the romance scam.
  • £4,950: the amount received by Azzopardi, which she transferred abroad.
  • 5: the number of payments received by Azzopardi.
  • £2,895.72: the amount Azzopardi was ordered to pay in court and expert fees.

Sources:

  • Times of Malta (no date)
  • "L-Lekturi tal-Artiklu" in Times of Malta (no date)
  • "Magistrate's ruling: receiving benefits from another's crime is laundering" in Times of Malta (no date)