US Court Sentences Five Nigerians To 159 Years In Prison For $17m Fraud

A U.S federal court has sentenced five Nigerian nationals to a combined 159 years in prison for their roles in a massive international fraud scheme.

The Nigerians were convicted for defrauding over 100 victims including individuals, companies, and government agencies to the tune of $17m.

The sentencing was announced on Wednesday in a statement posted on the U.S. Department of Justice website and signed by Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Ray Combs.

According to the Justice Department, the convicted individuals – Damilola Kumapayi, Sandra Iribhogbe, Edgal Iribhogbe, Chidindu Okeke and Chiagoziem Okeke – were part of a well-coordinated criminal network that operated across borders.

The attorney said that the fraud began in 2017 and primarily targeted older and vulnerable people, using tactics such as romance scams and online tricks to swindle victims out of their money, and sometimes their entire life savings.

Comb stated, “The defendants coordinated how to extract money from their victims, and then how to disguise, disburse, and launder that money once they successfully defrauded their victims.

“The scheme resulted in approximately $17 million fraudulently obtained from at least 100 individual victims, companies, and government entities from across the world.

“The scheme specifically targeted elderly persons and used various schemes, such as online dating sites, to lure their victims.

“Once funds were obtained from their victims, the defendants laundered the money through a network of various bank accounts and sent money to bank accounts, co-conspirators and businesses located in Africa and Asia.”

Following their arrest, all the five suspects were charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering.

Some pleaded guilty while others were found guilty at trial.

The U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant handed down lengthy sentences based on their roles in the scheme:

“Damilola Kumapayi, 39, of Plano, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 109 months in federal prison.

“Sandra Iribhogbe Popnen, 50, of Plano, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering and was sentenced to 365 months in federal prison.

“Edgal Iribhogbe, 51, of Allen, was found guilty at trial of conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering and was sentenced to 480 months in federal prison.

“Chidindu Okeke, 32, of Houston, was found guilty at trial of conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering and was sentenced to 480 months in federal prison.

“Chiagoziem Okeke, 32, of Houston, was found guilty at trial of conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering and was sentenced to 480 months in federal prison,” Combs stated.

The U.S. attorney emphasized that this case is part of a broader effort to clamp down on foreign fraud rings targeting American citizens, especially the elderly.

“Transnational organised criminals targeting the hard-earned savings of elderly and vulnerable populations are simply despicable.

“The defendants’ lengthy sentences in this case reflect the seriousness of their crimes and the dedication of law enforcement officers and prosecutors to bring them to justice,” Combs added.

KanyiDaily recalls that Nigerian tech queen, Sapphire Egemasi was recently arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with a major fraud case in the United States.