By John Ogunsemore
A 39-year-old Nigerian, Okechuckwu Valentine Osuji, has been sentenced to eight years in prison by a court in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, over a $6 million business email compromise (BEC) scheme.
In a Thursday statement, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) disclosed that Osuji was sentenced on Wednesday, December 4.
Osuji was arrested in Malaysia and extradited to the US in 2022.
On May 1, 2024, a jury in New Haven found him guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Osuji and his co-conspirators were said to have targeted specific individuals and businesses by masquerading as trustworthy entities in electronic communications to obtain money.
Prosecutors said they used witting and unwitting “money mules” to receive fraud proceeds in their bank accounts and then either transferred those funds from the money mule accounts to accounts under the co-conspirators’ control or converted the stolen proceeds to cash for further transfer.
“Over the years-long operation of the scheme, numerous victims were tricked into transferring funds into bank accounts the victims believed were under the control of legitimate recipients as part of normal business operations.
“In reality, the bank accounts were controlled by Osuji and his co-conspirators. The victims included a Connecticut-based financial company, a Colorado-based lending company, an Alaska-based nonprofit performing arts organization, a New York-based food and beverage company, and many others,” the DoJ said.
The DoJ said the scheme also involved the exploitation of elderly individuals through romance scams to serve as some of the unwitting money mules, including one woman who testified at trial that she was duped into sending her own personal savings and income, including Social Security checks, to an individual she believed to be her romantic partner, but who was in fact one of Osuji’s co-conspirators.
“The scam resulted in the near-total depletion of her life savings, caused her to declare bankruptcy, and led to the repossession of her house. Her personal bank account was also used to facilitate the fraud against one of the companies targeted by Osuji,” the statement reads in part.
As a result of the scheme, losses and intended losses tottaled over $6 million, the DoJ said.
At his sentencing hearing, Osuji was ordered to pay restitution to his victims.
Osuji’s alleged co-conspirator, John Wamuigah, remains in Malaysia and is pending extradition proceedings. An indictment is merely an allegation, and Wamuigah is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Another co-conspirator, Tolulope Bodunde, also a citizen of Nigeria, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on October 16 to two years in prison.