Officers were called to the after-action report of a theft. The victim, a resident of the City of South Saint Paul, County of Dakota, State of Minnesota, told officers that in spring of 2025 she was contacted by a person named “Alexious Sakuda” over text message. Alexious claimed to be a cousin of COLLINS SAITOTI TOME [DOB REDACTED], who the victim [NAME REDACTED]. Alexious told the victim [NAME REDACTED] was a businessman and could help her start a business. The victim reached out to TOME over text message about getting help to start a business, which TOME agreed to do.
Both Alexious and TOME continued to talk with the victim, both vouching for each other as good businessmen. Between May 30, 2025, and September 15, 2025, the victim provided TOME with over $41,000 primarily through CashApp transactions as payments for business expenses, reimbursements for expenses TOME allegedly incurred on the victim’s behalf, and investments in TOME’S business ventures. The victim [NAME REDACTED] told she was paying TOME to purchase dump trucks, insurance, snowplows, tourist buses in Africa, and even a bull farm also located in Africa.
Eventually, the victim became suspicious of Alexious and TOME as she received no returns on her supposed investments. The victim asked to have a three-way call with both of them and at that time TOME admitted to the victim [NAME REDACTED] had made up Alexious and that person did not exist. TOME asked the victim not to go to the police and that he would pay her back. Officers obtained bank accounts for the victim showing the transactions made to TOME’S CashApp account over the alleged time frame and showing that she even took out a $20,000 personal loan as part of the payments made to TOME. Records from TOME’S CashApp accounts showed TOME used to money either to spend on personal expenses or transfer into his personal bank accounts.
Subscriber records for the phone number used by Alexious showed the number was registered to TOME’S wife and listed TOME’S address and email address. Officers contacted TOME by phone who admitted to telling the victim [NAME REDACTED] would start a business together but then used the money provided by the victim to pay off his debts and living expenses. TOME initially denied knowing anything about Alexious, but when confronted with the information uncovered by officers indicated he would rather have his lawyer discuss that with officers.
TOME told officers he was working on paying the victim back and officers were able to confirm $6,700 had been 2 19HA-CR-26-826 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 6/11/2026 retuned as of March 2026.
