Some Nigerians have been arrested in connection with a $30
million money laundering scheme in the United States.
In a statement, the US department of justice said federal
agents arrested 24 suspects for their involvement in the large-scale fraud
which targeted citizens, corporations, and financial institutions throughout
the country.
The suspects, who were said to have perpetrated the crimes
through business email compromise, aggravated identity theft and bank fraud,
reportedly duped many US citizens.
Some of the Nigerians arrested and charged to a federal
court in Atlanta are:
- Blessing Oluwatimilehin Ojo
- Afeez Olaide Adeniran
- Matthan Bolaji Ibidapo
- Obinna Nwosu
- Benjamin Ibukunoluwa Oye
- Christopher Akinwande Awonuga
- Ahamefule Aso Odus
- Paul Chinonso Anyanwu
- Chineda Obilom Nwakadu
- Chukwukadibia Ikechukwu Nnadozie
- Uchechi Chidimma Odus
- John Ifeoluwa Onimole
- Oluwafunmilade Onamuti
“Afeez Olaide Adeniran and Blessing Ojo are also charged
with wire fraud. Adeniran allegedly defrauded a home buyer of $40,000 intended
for a real estate transaction,” the department said.
The indictment alleges that due to a computer intrusion and
false invoicing scam, Ojo caused a media company in California to send payments
totalling $89,140 to a bank account controlled by one of the defendants. In
total, the victim sent $646,840, as a result of the fraud.”
Byung J. Pak, a US attorney, said the fraud schemes targeted
the elderly and often deplete the victims’ entire life savings.
“No one deserves to have their hard-earned money stolen from
them, so identifying and arresting these defendants makes everyone in the
community safer. Foreign nationals arrested in this scheme will be placed into
removal proceedings upon completion of their criminal sentence,” said Robert
Hammer, acting special agent who oversees Homeland Security Investigations
(HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama.
Byung J, an attorney said: “Fraud schemes, like the ones
perpetrated and facilitated by these defendants, inflict considerable losses on
citizens, companies, and the financial system.
“Some of these schemes target the elderly and often deplete
the victims’ entire life savings. These arrests affirm the Department of
Justice’s commitment to prosecuting those who prey on our most vulnerable
citizens.”
Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta,
thanked “numerous federal, state and local law enforcement partners who helped
make these arrests possible”.
“There is no way we can make the victims of these schemes,
many who have lost their life savings, whole again. Hopefully the arrests and
pending prosecutions will at least give them solace that someone is being held
accountable for their losses,” he said.
Last year, FBI released a list of 80 suspects arrested over
alleged cyber fraud. 77 of those on the list are Nigerians.
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