The Real Housewives of Cape Town star Kgalalelo Loveline Abinokhauno, popularly known as Mrs Leo, has been convicted of fraud in connection with a dating scam that cheated two women out of more than R3.2 million.
Mrs Leo and her co-accused were sentenced at the Cape Town Regional Court after prosecutors proved that the victims were lured online by a fake American engineer who claimed to be facing emergencies and asked for financial help. The money was paid into accounts linked to the accused, with investigators saying a church was used as a front to launder the funds.
Mrs Leo’s husband, identified as the alleged mastermind, absconded after the State closed its case.
Mrs Leo and her co-accuseds, Uguchukwu Nawachukwu, her husband Innocent Abinokhauno(absconded), Stanley Osakwe, and Bright Odumo Ogedengbe were sentenced at the Cape Town Regional Court.
Mrs Leo gained popularity after she appeared on the reality show “The Real Housewives of Cape Town”. She is a content creator with an events business.
They scammed two women, an American and a Canadian, of more than R3.2 million in amounts paid to different accounts of the accused. The two women were lured to an online dating site where they were made to believe that they were dealing with an American engineer involved in a project in South Africa.
The engineer experienced sudden emergencies and requested the two women to help them financially with a promise to repay the money. The repayments never happened. The engineer was a hoax created by a group of organised criminals.
Mrs Leo’s husband is regarded as the mastermind behind the scam, and he absconded after the State closed its case. Speculation is rife that he fled the country in hiding.
The monies were paid into Okil Management, Bright ven Trading and two bank accounts of Glory Restoration Assembly Church that are directly and indirectly linked to the accused. All the accused were members of this church.
All accused except two were principals and signatories on the church’s bank accounts. The church was used as a front to launder money. The church made numerous cash payments from their business and investment accounts.
Mrs Leo’s bank account is said to have been used to launder where, after a substantial amount went into the church’s account. Accused number one was the head pastor of Glory Restoration Assembly Church