The wedding of Nigerian man Darlington Akporugo and his fiancée Jasmin Sood, scheduled for May 25 in Houston, USA, has been abruptly canceled following their arrest on allegations of a $3.123 million fraud scheme.

The couple, residing in Fulshear, Texas, was apprehended in April by U.S. authorities on charges of conspiring to defraud over a dozen elderly Americans who believed they were engaged in online romantic relationships with Akporugo.

According to the United States Department of Homeland Security, 46-year-old Akporugo and 35-year-old Sood are accused of committing mail and wire fraud. Investigators allege that between 2015 and 2022, the pair used fictitious personas to target elderly victims, often widowed, through social networking and internet dating platforms. They communicated with victims via email, text message, and telephone to gain their trust.

The indictment details that after establishing trust online, Akporugo and Sood convinced victims to transfer large sums of money to various addresses and bank accounts controlled by the fraudsters. In one instance, they allegedly met a victim in person in the Houston area, drove her to banks, and persuaded her to give Akporugo control of her banking access devices.

Akporugo faces additional charges of aggravated identity theft and fraud in connection with an access device. The scheme allegedly defrauded at least 13 victims of approximately $3,123,073.

If convicted, Akporugo and Sood face up to 30 years in prison for each wire fraud and conspiracy count. Akporugo also faces an additional 10 years for fraud involving an access device and another mandatory two years if convicted of aggravated identity theft.