By John Ogunsemore
A 36-year-old Nigerian man, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata on Wednesday pleaded guilty to operating a transnational inheritance fraud scheme that defrauded more than 400 elderly and vulnerable persons across the United States.
Ogbata, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud before a US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, faces up to 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, Ogbata is a member of a group of fraudsters that sent personalised letters to elderly victims in the US over the course of several years.
“The letters falsely claimed that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left for the recipient by a family member who had died overseas years before.
“Ogbata and his co-conspirators told a series of lies to victims, including that, before they could receive their purported inheritance, they were required to send money for delivery fees, taxes and other payments to avoid questioning from government authorities.
“Ogbata and his co-conspirators collected money victims sent in response to the fraudulent letters through a complex web of US-based former victims, whom the defendants convinced to receive money and forward to the defendants or persons associated with them.
“Victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds.
“In pleading guilty, Ogbata admitted to defrauding over $6 million from more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or otherwise vulnerable” the US Department of Justice said in a statement published on its website on Wednesday.
Ogbata is scheduled to be sentenced by US District Judge Roy K. Altman on April 14.
According to the DoJ, this is the second indicted case related to this international fraud scheme.
Six other co-conspirators from the United Kingdom, Spain and Nigeria have previously been convicted and sentenced in connection with this scheme.
Ezennia Peter Neboh, who was extradited from Spain, was on November 1, 2023, sentenced to 128 months in prison by judge Kathleen M. Williams.
On October 20, 2023, Judge Williams also sentenced another defendant who was also extradited from Spain, Kennedy Ikponmwosa, to 97 months in prison.
“Three other defendants who were extradited from the United Kingdom also received prison sentences. Judge Williams sentenced Emmanuel Samuel, Jerry Chucks Ozor and Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham to prison sentences of 82 months, 87 months and 90 months, respectively, for their roles in the scheme. Lastly, Prince Amos Okey Ezemma was paroled into the United States from Nigeria and was sentenced to 90 months in prison for his role in the scheme,” the DoJ said.
Head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Brian M. Boynton said, “The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch will continue to pursue transnational criminals wherever they are located.
“This case is a testament to the critical role of international collaboration in tackling transnational crime. I want to thank the members of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), as well as the Portuguese Judicial Police and Public Prosecution Service of Portugal, for their outstanding contributions to this case.”
US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe said, “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, to include the elderly.
“We will not allow transnational criminals to steal money from the public we serve. Individuals who defraud American consumers will be brought to justice, no matter where they are located.”