A court in the United States has sentenced five Nigerians, Damilola Kumapayi, Sandra Iribhogbe Popnen, Edgal Iribhogbe, Chidindu Okeke and Chiagoziem Okeke, to over 159 years of combined jail term for $17 million fraud.
Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Jay R. Combs announced this in a statement published on the website of the Department of Justice.
Kumapayi, 39, of Plano, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 109 months (nine years) in federal prison.
Popnen, 50, of Plano, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit money laundering and was sentenced to 365 months (30 years) in federal prison.
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 (40 years) 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 (40 years) 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 (40 years) in federal prison.
The US District Court in Sherman, Texas, heard how, beginning around January 2017, the defendants used a multitude of fraudulent schemes to obtain money from their victims, including online romance scams, business email compromise and investor fraud, and unemployment insurance fraud.
“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,” the statement reads in part.
Combs said, “Transnational organised criminals targeting the hard-earned savings of elderly and vulnerable populations are simply despicable.
“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.
“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.
“I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their outstanding work on this case.”
