Entertainment
KOKO News
News & Events
News and Entertainment

Two Nigerians Sentenced To Prison Over $2 Million Internet Fraud In US

September 13, 2022

FBI Nigerians Fraud KOKO TV Nigeria 2 — Federal agents hold a detainee, second from left, at a downtown Los Angeles parking lot after predawn raids that saw dozens of people arrested in the L.A. area Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. U.S. authorities have unsealed a 252-count federal grand jury indictment charging 80 people with participating in a conspiracy to steal millions of dollars through a range of fraud schemes and laundering the funds through a Los Angeles-based network. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Thursday most of the defendants are Nigerian nationals. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Two Nigerian men residing in the United States have been sentenced to prison for defrauding Americans of over $2 million via an internet romance scam.

Both convicts bagged a combined 17 years and six months jail term. This is coming barely 72 hours that the US declared wanted a 29-year-old Nigerian, Chidozie Collins Obasi for defrauding the New York State of $30 million over the COVID-19 ventilators scam.

According to a press release by the US Department of Justice, the two Nigerians Olumide Obidare and Stephen Oseghale defrauded their victims by using fake names and stolen identities to engage in business email compromise (BEC).

They are both 29-year-old who duped their victims through BEC fraud schemes to pursue fraudulent romantic relationships online.

It was learnt that this case was hinged on the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Fraud

The court also ordered him to pay $1,955,507.53 in restitution having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit the crime and aggravated identity theft on March 14, 2022, as announced by US Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

“Oseghale, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, was sentenced on August 16, 2022, to 80 months in prison followed by three years on supervised release and ordered to pay $453,889.27 in restitution,” the statement added.