14 DAY TRIAL // 41-year-old Blessed Marvelous Herve, of San Francisco, has been arrested and charged with wire fraud. The man – who used aliases like Rodrigue Herve Ngandou, Herve Rodrigue Ngandou, and Blessed Roll Herve – is accused of making around $1.6 million (€1.2 million) through what’s known as a 419 scam, or a Nigerian scam.
The suspect, born in the Republic of Congo, came to the US in 1999. He became a US citizen earlier this year. He was arrested on April 24 and has been held in custody ever since.
According to the FBI, Herve claimed to be the son of the president of Congo, a multi-billionaire. Like in most 419 scams, he claimed that he possessed millions of dollars, part of which he was willing to give to anyone who helped him obtain the money that the US government allegedly seized.
Herve also told his potential victims that he was sent to prison from 2009 through 2012. He tried to convince unsuspecting individuals to give him money he allegedly needed for court proceedings and his incarceration.
In October 2012, he asked one of his victims to pay $47,000 (€36,000) he presumably needed for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Tens of thousands of dollars were also provided to Herve by a real estate agent. The con artist promised the victim that his father would buy tens of millions of dollars’ worth of real estate.
To make his scams more legitimate-looking, the fraudster forged various documents, including a letter from a US senator, awards of recognition, and a certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from a Member of Congress.
When there was nothing left to steal from an individual, Herve simply informed the victim that he was being deported to Puerto Rico and vanished without a trace.
If found guilty for his crimes, the man could spend up to 20 years in prison.