Nigerian risks 60 years in jail after conviction for fraud by US court

A national assemblage successful New Haven, Connecticut, convicted a Nigerian nationalist contiguous (Wednesday, 1 May) for operating a concern email compromise strategy retired of aggregate countries, including the United States.

According to tribunal documents and grounds presented astatine trial, Okechuckwu Valentine Osuji, 39, and his co-conspirators targeted circumstantial individuals and businesses by masquerading arsenic trustworthy entities successful physics communications to get money. They utilised unwitting and witting “money mules” to person fraud proceeds successful their slope accounts, and past transferred those funds to accounts nether the power of Osuji and his co-conspirators oregon to person the stolen proceeds to currency for further transfer. Over the people of the scheme’s years-long operation, galore victims were tricked into transferring funds into slope accounts the victims believed were nether the power of morganatic recipients of the funds arsenic portion of mean concern operations, erstwhile successful reality, the slope accounts were controlled by Osuji and his co-conspirators. As a effect of the scheme, losses and intended losses totaled implicit $6.3 million.

“Osuji led a web of scammers successful Malaysia and elsewhere successful a blase concern email compromise strategy to defraud victims of millions of dollars,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, caput of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s condemnation is different illustration of however the department’s collaboration with planetary instrumentality enforcement partners enables america to bring cybercriminals to justness successful the United States.”

“While it is often hard to place and bring to justness cybercriminals operating overseas, today’s verdict demonstrates the expertise of the FBI and Stamford Police successful uncovering this transgression network, and the shared committedness of our counterparts successful Malaysia to guarantee that fraudsters are held accountable successful a tribunal of law,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery for the District of Connecticut. “We volition proceed to enactment to basal retired those who prosecute successful net fraud schemes, nary substance wherever successful the satellite they operate, and execute justness for victims of these crimes.”

“The suspect perpetrated a analyzable planetary concern email compromise strategy and laundered millions successful stolen proceeds,” said Executive Assistant Director Timothy R. Langan Jr. of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. “This condemnation is the effect of hard enactment and adjacent collaboration betwixt the FBI and our section and planetary partners. Together, we volition enactment aggressively to bring to justness anyone who engages successful fraud and theft against Americans, nary substance wherever they are successful the world.”

“Today’s verdict provides a spot of closure to immoderate victims of these often financially crippling crimes,” said Special Agent successful Charge Robert Fuller of the FBI New Haven Field Office. “It besides displays our planetary quality to bring transgression actors to justness contempt the complexities of their crimes. We privation to convey each of our instrumentality enforcement partners present and abroad, arsenic good arsenic the U.S. Attorney’s office, for their dedication to serving justice.”

The assemblage convicted Osuji of conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud, ligament fraud, and aggravated individuality theft. He is scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected July 24 and faces a mandatory minimum of 2 years connected the individuality theft number and a maximum punishment of 60 years successful situation connected the ligament fraud and conspiracy counts. A national territory tribunal justice volition find immoderate condemnation aft considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and different statutory factors.

Osuji was arrested successful Malaysia and extradited to the United States successful 2022. His alleged co-conspirator, John Wamuigah, remains successful Malaysia and is pending extradition proceedings. Another co-conspirator, Tolulope Bodunde, pleaded blameworthy connected 16 February.

The FBI New Haven Field Office and the Stamford Police Department investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, Royal Malaysia Police, and Malaysian Attorney General’s Chambers provided invaluable assistance successful securing the apprehension and extradition of Osuji.

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Trial Attorney Lydia Lichlyter of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret M. Donovan for the District of Connecticut are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Doherty for the District of Connecticut provided invaluable assistance to the investigation.

If you judge that you person been victimized by Valentine Osuji, John Wamuigah, oregon Tolulope Bodunde, delight interaction the FBI New Haven Field Office astatine 203-777-6311 and inquire for FBI Task Force Officer Michael Stempien. Please enactment that defendants are believed to person utilized the pursuing accounts successful perpetuation of their crimes (partially redacted wherever necessary, to obscure the names of stolen identities):

Ew—leeu——rrg@gmail.com
Lui-fra—-la@gmail.com
shawncarta@gmail.com
agoggiia@gmail.com
ksniper100@gmail.com oregon kindsnipes@gmail.com
To larn much astir concern email compromise scams, delight sojourn www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/business-email-compromise and www.ic3.gov/Media/Y2023/PSA230609.