Man gets 4 1/2 years for role in $8M online romance scam

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man convicted of helping to steal millions of dollars from hundreds of people in online romance scams, often regaling the victims with stories of oil rig explosions, now faces a 4 1/2-year prison sentence. Federal prosecutors say 30-year-old Kofi Osei and his alleged accomplices from 2016 to 2020 targeted mostly older people seeking companionship by creating fake online dating profiles. They gradually gained their victims’ trust before directing them to transfer money to one of dozens of bank accounts Osei opened. Once the money was in the bank account, it was quickly withdrawn.