A 36-year-old Nigerian man, Okezie Ogbata, has been sentenced to over eight years (97 months) in a United States federal prison for his involvement in a sprawling $6 million international inheritance fraud scheme targeting the elderly.
The U.S. Department of Justice revealed the sentencing in a statement issued on Monday, detailing Ogbata’s role as part of a group that mailed fraudulent letters to elderly Americans over several years.
The scheme, which exploited more than 400 vulnerable individuals, involved deceptive letters claiming recipients were beneficiaries of a large inheritance from a deceased overseas relative.
The letters were falsely presented as coming from a Spanish bank representative.
Ogbata pleaded guilty, admitting to his role in the fraud operation that raked in over $6 million from unsuspecting victims. Court records indicate the scammers convinced victims to pay various fees, ranging from delivery and tax charges to other fabricated costs, under the pretense of unlocking their so-called inheritance.
“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.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division commended the success of global cooperation in bringing the fraudsters to justice.
“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.
In a similar vein, U.S. Attorney Hayden Byrne for the Southern District of Florida stressed the commitment of American authorities to relentlessly pursue international fraudsters.
“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 of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Miami Division, Steven Hodges, reaffirmed the agency’s dedication to protecting American citizens from such deceitful practices.
“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,” he stated.
Also reacting, Homeland Security Investigations Arizona’s Special Agent in Charge, Francisco Burrola, condemned the manipulation of elderly victims.
“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 conviction comes on the heels of a broader clampdown on cyber-enabled fraud, just days after the FBI arrested 22 Nigerian nationals linked to sextortion schemes.
