02/04/2026
On January 28, 2026, U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced KENNETH G. AKPIEYI, a/k/a “Phillip Anderson,” (“AKPIEYI”) age 45, of Marietta, Georgia, to 25 years in prison, and EMUOBOSAN EMMANUELLA HALL, (“HALL”), age 45, of Atlanta, Georgia, to 8 years in prison, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle. The sentencings of AKPIEYI and HALL stemmed from their participation in a years-long romance scam that victimized more than 30 women across the country. AKPIEYI was convicted after a four-day jury trial in July 2025 for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. HALL previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to the evidence presented at trial, AKPIEYI played a key role in a conspiratorial scheme where the conspirators represented themselves as romantic partners to their, mostly female, victims. The conspirators often claimed to be generals, philanthropists, or entrepreneurs who lived outside the United States and met their victims on Facebook, Instagram, and similar social media platforms. They began their scheme by gaining the trust of the victims. They then asked the victims to move their conversations to WhatsApp or another encrypted platform. Thereafter, the conspirators fostered a romantic relationship with their victims, who they then asked to send money for fraudulent reasons, such as charitable causes or assistance for sick family members.
Discover how much money they stole at: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/pr/georgia-residents-sentenced-multi-million-dollar-romance-scam