CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Nine men have been accused in West Virginia of participating in romance and other online scams that defrauded at least 200 people of more than $2.5 million.
Grand jury indictments in federal court in Charleston charge the men with mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and receipt of stolen property.
Federal prosecutors say all nine men have been apprehended by authorities in seven states.
Two of the defendants lived in West Virginia, two were from Ohio and two from Washington, D.C. The others were from Stone Mountain, Georgia; Beltsville, Maryland; and Omaha, Nebraska.
According to the indictments, victims were coerced into sending money to various bank accounts.