A 37-year-old Nigerian man, Chukwunonso Obiora, has been
sentenced to 11 years in prison for his involvement in sophisticated criminal
schemes, including laundering proceeds from business email compromises, BEC,
and fraudulently obtaining a U.S. passport.
The sentencing, handed down by United States District Judge
Indira Talwani, also includes three years of supervised release, restitution,
and forfeiture totaling $3,326,014.14.
Obiora pleaded guilty in June 2024 to one count of passport
fraud conspiracy and one count of money laundering conspiracy. He was arrested
in October 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia, and was held in custody until his trial.
According to U.S. prosecutors, Obiora led a money-laundering conspiracy from March 2021 to May 2023. The scheme involved targeting businesses through BEC scams, where cybercriminals impersonate trusted parties via email to deceive companies into wiring funds to accounts controlled by the fraudsters.
Obiora and his co-conspirators used stolen personal
information to create fake identities, open fraudulent bank accounts, and
incorporate sham businesses.
These accounts were then used to receive and withdraw BEC
proceeds, which were quickly moved to other accounts or wired to conspirators
in Nigeria, China, and other countries.
In two years, the group engaged in at least $6.5 million in
financial transactions involving fraud proceeds, with Obiora and his U.S.-based
associates taking a 40% share of the funds as payment for their roles in the
conspiracy.
After being removed from the U.S. by immigration authorities
in December 2021, Obiora conspired with a close relative, an American citizen,
to fraudulently obtain a U.S. passport.
The relative falsely reported his passport as lost or stolen
and applied for a replacement, submitting Obiora’s photograph with his own
name.
The fraudulent passport was then sent to Obiora, who used it
to re-enter the U.S. in October 2023 by posing as his relative.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security
Investigations New England with support from the U.S. Department of State’s
Diplomatic Security Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth B. Kosto, Chief of the
Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit, prosecuted the case.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy praised the
coordinated efforts of law enforcement to bring Obiora to justice.
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