Romance scammer arrested in Bradenton, gets convicted
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
📰 BPD NEWS RELEASE:
A Minnesota romance scammer, arrested by the Bradenton Police Department’s Elder Fraud Unit in 2024, has been convicted of grand theft. Benjamin Yakah must pay a 79-year-old Bradenton widower $31,000 in restitution.
BPD’s investigation began in June 2024, when the victims’ children contacted the Elder Fraud Unit, with concerns about their father’s alleged online romance with a woman named “Julia,” whom he met on Facebook in late 2023. For eight months, the widower communicated with “Julia” on Facebook Messenger. The victim became convinced that “Julia” lived in the United Kingdom and was moving to the United States to begin a relationship with him. “Julia” claimed she owed money to a man in Minnesota and would relocate to Florida after paying the debt. To help expedite her relocation, the victim sent cash, money orders, and cashier’s checks to a home and a bank in Minneapolis.
Detectives tracked the bank account and home address to Yakah. They also determined that photos of “Julia” belonged to a West Virginia woman, who was unaware that she was a victim of identity theft.
In November 2024, Detective Jim Curulla traveled to Minnesota and arrested Yakah with the assistance of the Bloomington, MN, Police Department. A subsequent search of Yakah’s home indicated there were additional victims in other states.
Yakah was extradited to Manatee County and, earlier this month, pleaded no contest to grand theft (valued between $20,000 and $100,000), a second-degree felony.
A judge sentenced him to one year in jail, four years of probation, and $31,000, the amount detectives could prove the victim sent to Yakah.
Romance scams rank among the top five tactics used against Americans, particularly senior citizens. In 2025, Elder Fraud cases investigated by BPD totaled more than $8 million in losses. The department offers printed resources for senior citizens, available at our headquarters, 100 10th St W.