About the Recipe
Frederick Diji, 37, of Camberwell, ran a romance-fraud operation that spanned over a decade, creating fake online personas to build what victims believed were romantic relationships — in one case lasting 14 years — then asking for money under false pretences. He was sentenced in December 2022 to 8 years in prison for conspiracy to defraud, concealing criminal property and possession of false identity documents, while his accomplice Raquel Johnson, 43, received 3 years 9 months for money laundering.
Perpetrators:
Frederick Ugo Diji, 37, of Camberwell.
Raquel Johnson, 43.
Victims: Multiple gay men (including one deceived over 14 years) across the UK.
Incident:
From 2005–2019, Diji created fake online personas to build false romantic relationships.
Convinced victims to send large sums of money under fabricated pretences (illness, emergencies).
Johnson laundered funds through accounts.
Outcome:
December 2022: Diji sentenced to 8 years for conspiracy to defraud, concealing criminal property, and ID offences.
Johnson sentenced to 3 years 9 months for money laundering.
Location/Date: Camberwell, South London (base of operations) – offences spanned years until 2022.