Zimbabwe National Found Guilty of Laundering More Than $1.2 Million

ATLANTA - Following a five-day trial, Sherlyn Sims, a/k/a "Sherlyn Dzinzi," was found guilty by a jury of conspiring to launder, and laundering, proceeds generated from numerous romance fraud scams and business email compromise schemes. These computer-enabled crimes resulted in more than $1.2 million being diverted to bank accounts controlled by Sims, after which she quickly transferred, withdrew, and spent the funds.

"The fraud schemes that Sims perpetrated in this case have become an epidemic in this country," said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. "Our vulnerable elderly population are often targeted in these crimes, resulting in significant financial loss and unimaginable emotional suffering. The jury's verdict has ended Sims's attempts to evade culpability for the role that she played in carrying out these schemes."

"This case serves as a reminder of the sophisticated methods employed by criminals and the need for vigilance in the digital age," said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley. "The consequences of this type of fraud scheme are far-reaching, affecting not only people here in Georgia, but also around the world."

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: Sherlyn Sims was charged with conspiracy and money laundering related to the receipt of funds stolen from dozens of victims between December 2019 and August 2020. Sims and her co-defendants registered sham businesses, including Grace Trading, LLC, a company Sims registered in the state of Georgia. Grace Trading and the other sham businesses had no legitimate earnings, did not have physical premises, and did not pay wages to employees.

Once the businesses were registered, business bank accounts were opened in the companies' names at various financial institutions. For instance, two days after Grace Trading became registered with the Georgia Secretary of State, Sims opened business bank accounts at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank and Bank of America. Shortly after the accounts were opened, fraud victims were duped into depositing approximately $200,000 into Grace Trading's bank accounts. Sims quickly wired the fraud proceeds to China and other foreign countries, withdrew cash from the accounts, and transferred or spent the remaining funds.

Over the following seven months, more than $1.2 million in fraud proceeds were deposited into these accounts from romance scams and business email compromise schemes. One of the incidents involved a scam that tricked a victim into sending the earnest money deposit for the purchase of a new home to Sims's Grace Trading account. Sims was not deterred when the banks closed Grace Trading's accounts, as she would open a new bank account in the sham business's name. Sims also used Grace Trading to obtain a fraudulent COVID-loan from the Small Business Administration.

Multiple romance fraud victims testified at trial. The victims recounted how they met male strangers online and were soon convinced they were in a romantic relationship with the men, even though the victims were in communication with the individuals for months without meeting in person. Often these men claimed that they wanted to start a life with the victims and were eager to live with them as soon as some kind of issue was resolved. For example, one romance fraud victim was persuaded to send nearly $100,000 to one of Sims's accounts because her boyfriend (one of the men online) claimed that he was traveling to Boston but had been detained by customs officials and would not be released until his taxes were paid. This victim depleted her life savings and borrowed from friends and family trying to help the man pay his taxes and be released from detention.

Sherlyn Sims, a/k/a "Sherlyn Dzinzi," 33, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, is scheduled to be sentenced on November 5, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones. Sims was found guilty by a federal jury on July 31, 2024.

Co-defendant Bright Eigbedion, 36, of Kearns, Utah, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 29, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Jones. Eigbedion was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering on March 27, 2024, after he pleaded guilty.

Co-defendant Presley Ihimekpen, 37, of Duluth, Georgia, was previously sentenced by Judge Jones on August 1, 2024, to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims. Ihimekpen was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering on March 27, 2024, after he pleaded guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex R. Sistla and Kelly K. Connors are prosecuting the case.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is part of the Department of Justice Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force. The Strike Force focuses on investigating and prosecuting defendants associated with foreign-based fraud schemes that disproportionately affect American seniors. These include romance scams, phone scams, mass-mailing fraud schemes, and tech-support fraud schemes. For further information on these scams, see https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/senior-scam-alert.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.