ROCHESTER, NY — A Stone Mountain man used fake identities and online relationships to defraud victims out of thousands of dollars, according to federal prosecutors.
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Stephen Odiboh, 53, was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a scheme that targeted four victims between 2023 and March 2025, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
Prosecutors said the scheme involved $356,500 in total losses and attempted losses.
In one case, Odiboh posed as a man named “Oliver Wilson” on Facebook and spent about a year and a half building a romantic relationship with a 77-year-old woman in New York, officials said.
He falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen, a widower living in Norway, and asked the woman to send gift cards so they could continue communicating online. She sent about 30 gift cards totaling $15,000, prosecutors said.
Between January and July 2024, the woman also mailed eight checks totaling more than $162,000 to individuals and entities identified by “Wilson,” including two checks to Odiboh.
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In December 2024, “Wilson” claimed he was being held by customs authorities in Norway and needed $158,000 to pay a fine. The woman tried to send two checks for that amount, but her bank detected the fraud and stopped payment before they could be cashed.
Prosecutors said Odiboh was also involved in schemes targeting three other victims.
In April 2024, a co-conspirator posing as a customer seeking catering services sent a caterer a $2,800 check to cover an $800 deposit, then instructed the caterer to send the extra $2,000 to Odiboh through Zelle. The caterer recognized the suspected scam and did not deposit the check.
In another case, a co-conspirator posing as “William Rivera” contacted a victim through an online dating site and persuaded the person to send Odiboh $2,000 through Cash App.
A fourth victim was contacted by someone using the name “Alec Jonas” on a dating site. After establishing a romantic connection, the person claimed to be working in Bahrain and needed money to ship goods to Texas. The victim wired $17,525 to a bank account he controlled, prosecutors said.
Odiboh was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa. He was also ordered to pay $196,500 in restitution.
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