Chinedu Mba, a Nigerian man, has been sentenced to 228 months in prison by a United States district court for his involvement in a romance scam and business email compromise scheme.
David Hittner issued the sentence after Mba, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to make false statements in immigration documents.
In a statement, the United States Department of Justice said Mba and others “carried out business email compromise and romance scams targeting unsuspecting victims” from April 2018 to December 2023.
US prosecutors said the fraud schemes began outside the United States, with co-conspirators gaining unauthorised access to business email accounts and redirecting payments to fraudulent bank accounts.
The victims believed they were sending money to legitimate businesses, but Mba and his co-conspirators funnelled the funds into accounts they controlled.
“Mba and others acted as money mules, opening or using existing bank accounts to collect and move proceeds from the fraud,” the justice department said.
The department added that Mba also attempted to obtain US permanent residency through multiple fraudulent marriages after his initial application was denied and he was ordered removed from the country.
According to prosecutors, the scheme resulted in a total loss of $4 million.
Mba is expected to face removal proceedings after completing his prison term.
Four Houston residents had previously pleaded guilty in connection with the case. Grace Morisho, Rodgers Kadikilo, and Kristin Smith received sentences ranging from 15 to 25 months, while Alexandra Golovko was sentenced to five years’ probation.
