Federal Jury Convicts Worcester Couple of Conspiracy to Launder Wire Fraud Proceeds

CONCORD – A man and woman from Worcester, Massachusetts were convicted today by a federal petit jury in Concord for conspiracy to launder wire fraud proceeds after an eight-day trial, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Nafise Quaye, 47, and Sunna Sepetu, 37, both of Worcester, Massachusetts were convicted of one count of conspiracy to money launder. United States District Court Judge Samantha Elliot scheduled sentencing for both defendants on July 8, 2024.

“This verdict demonstrates the seriousness with which the United States Department of Justice takes frauds committed against vulnerable people through the internet,” said United States Attorney Jane E. Young. “The defendants knowingly accepted millions of dollars in wire fraud proceeds from a vulnerable victim in the United States and sent those proceeds overseas to the fraud perpetrator. Prosecuting people in the United States who facilitate the execution of international frauds committed on the internet is essential to frustrating the networks that pray on vulnerable members of our society.” 

Between 2013 and 2019, the defendants received approximately $3.2 million in proceeds from a fraud victim located in Texas. These proceeds were sent to bank accounts established by the defendants for various shell companies. The defendants then sent those fraud proceeds to the perpetrator of the fraud operating in Africa, while keeping a portion of the proceeds for themselves.

The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations within the United States Department of Homeland Security.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Rombeau is prosecuting the case.  

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