5 Nigerians jailed for 159 years in U.S. over $17m fraud scheme

In a landmark judgment, a U.S. federal court has sentenced five Nigerian nationals to a combined 159 years in prison for orchestrating a sophisticated transnational fraud ring that scammed over $17 million from more than 100 victims across the United States.

According to a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice, the convicted individuals employed a range of deceptive tactics including romance scams, business email compromise (BEC), unemployment insurance fraud, and phony investment schemes to defraud individuals, businesses, and even government agencies.

The court found that many of the victims targeted by the syndicate were elderly and vulnerable, some of whom lost their entire life savings.

According to court documents, the convicted Nigerians: Damilola Kumapayi, Sandra Iribhogbe Popnen, Edgal Iribhogbe, Chidindu Okeke, and Chiagoziem Okeke played key roles in the scam, which began around January 2017 and spanned several years.

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

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

The defendants used fake online relationships, compromised business communications, and false investment pitches to deceive their targets.

The document further disclosed that once the money was obtained, it was laundered through a network of accounts and routed to accomplices and businesses across Africa and Asia.

“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,” the statement added.

Following their arrests, the suspects were charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering.

U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant handed down the prison terms after their convictions to a total of 159 years in prison.

Chidindu Okeke and Chiagoziem Okeke, both 32 and based in Houston, along with 51-year-old Edgal Iribhogbe of Allen, Texas, were each sentenced to 40 years (480 months) in prison. Sandra Iribhogbe Popnen, 50, from Plano, received a sentence of 365 months, while Damilola Kumapayi, 39, also of Plano, was sentenced to 109 months after pleading guilty.

Prosecutors noted that several victims lost their life savings and were left emotionally and financially devastated.

U.S. authorities praised the collaboration among law enforcement agencies and reaffirmed their commitment to dismantling international fraud network.