A 29-year-old Nigerian man, Barnabas Jime, has been arrested in the United States for love scam and real estate fraud.
He was first under investigation for love scam in July 2022 before it was discovered he had scammed many people out of more than $500,000 with fake real estate listings in a year-long scheme.
He had posed as a Bay Area estate agent and faces one charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after he allegedly posted false real estate listings online and illegally took money from people looking to lease the properties, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.
This week, Jime waived his right to prosecution by indictment, an indication that prosecutors have enough evidence against him to proceed directly to trial.
A person identifying themselves as a victim of the scam filed a complaint with the Emeryville Police Department alleging that they sent money to Jime’s Emeryville address.
Federal prosecutors said they uncovered a far-ranging real estate scheme he allegedly carried out from June 2021 to May 2023.
Jime and his co-conspirators listed apartments they did not own, duping 100 potential renters into depositing $680,000. They were said to have “found methods of showing these properties to prospective tenants” despite having no connection to the properties.
He faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
A court told the court that he had paid $2,650 to hold a property, saying he was asked to sign a lease agreement requiring him to pay a security deposit, first month and last month’s rents before receiving keys to the apartment.
According to prosecutors, bank records indicate that Jime used Kenyan passports to open bank accounts under two fake names — Thomas Kirkpatrick and Patrick Warren. No records exist for the Kenyan passports, but the photographs used match the U.S. visa for Jime’s Nigerian passport.
