Army buddies accused of scamming Marine Corps vets online

Two members of the US Army Reserve scammed senior citizens, widows, businesses, and a Marine Corps veterans association over the course of nearly two years, according to a now-unsealed federal complaint.

Joseph Iorhemba Asan Jr. and Charles Ifeanyi Ogozy joined the Army Reserve in February 2018, and that same month embarked on a “scheme to commit fraud against victims across the United States,” according to the complaint. Prosecutors say the duo amassed up to $3 million.

The money was stolen through two common online scams: business email compromises, in which they impersonated legitimate company employees to trick them into wiring them hundreds of thousands of dollars, as well as romance scams, in which they “deluded unsuspecting older women and men into believing they were in a romantic relationship,” ultimately persuading them to send large amounts of money under false pretenses.