Okezie Ogbata, a 36-year-old Nigerian national, was sentenced to 97 months in prison in the United States for his involvement in a $6 million transnational inheritance fraud conspiracy.
The US Department of Justice announced this in a statement issued on Monday.
Ogbata was determined to be a member of a network of fraudsters that sent personalised letters to elderly people across the United States for numerous years.
The scheme conned approximately 400 people, the majority of whom were elderly or fragile, causing losses of more than $6 million.
The letters falsely claimed that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the receiver was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar bequest left for the recipient by a family member who had died overseas years previously.
Ogbata pleaded guilty to the charges and admitted to stealing over $6 million from more than 400 people.
According to court documents, Ogbata and his co-conspirators duped victims by demanding that they pay various expenses, such as shipping charges, taxes, and other costs, before receiving their alleged inheritance in order to evade official inspection.
“Ogbata and his co-conspirators collected money sent in response to the fraudulent letters through a complex web of U.S.-based former victims, whom the defendants convinced to receive and forward funds to them or their associates.
“Victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds,” the statement read.
According to the statement, acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division described the case as demonstrating the need for international collaboration in combating transnational crime.
“I want to thank our U.S. law enforcement partners, as well as those who assisted across the globe, including the Portuguese Judicial Police and Public Prosecution Service of Portugal, for their outstanding contributions to this case,” Roth said.
Furthermore, the U.S. Attorney Hayden Byrne for the Southern District of Florida emphasised the determination of American authorities to pursue fraudsters globally.
“The long arm of the American justice system has no limits when it comes to reaching fraudsters who prey on our nation’s most vulnerable populations, including the elderly.
“We will not allow transnational criminals to steal money from the public we serve,” Byrne said.
Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Steven Hodges of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division shared a similar sentiment: “The USPIS has a long history of protecting American citizens from these types of schemes and bringing those responsible to justice.
“Today’s sentencing is a testament to the dedicated partnership between the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, HSI, and USPIS.”
Special Agent in Charge Francisco Burrola of Homeland Security Investigations Arizona condemned the exploitation of the elderly.
“It’s inconceivable to imagine any human being robbing from those who’ve spent a lifetime working and building a life and then are duped out of it all,” he said. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will not tolerate this kind of behaviour; we will bring justice to those who have wronged and stolen from so many people.”
Ogbata’s punishment comes just days after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the arrest of 22 Nigerian nationals in connection with a series of sextortion schemes, underscoring ongoing efforts to prevent cyber-enabled fraud against US people.
