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By John Ogunsemore
A court in the United States has sentenced a Nigerian, Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, to 97 months (eight years) in prison for his role in a $6 million transnational inheritance fraud scheme that targeted elderly Americans.
In a Monday statement, the US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida disclosed that the 41-year-old convict was jailed on Thursday, September 11.
Court documents revealed that Akhimie’s syndicate sent personalised letters to elderly victims in the United States 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.
The statement reads, “Akhimie 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.
“Akhimie 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.
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“Victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds.”
According to the statement, Akhimie admitted to defrauding over $6 million from more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or otherwise vulnerable.
He is the eighth defendant sentenced to prison in connection with the scheme.
District Court Judge Kathleen M. Williams previously sentenced six additional defendants in a related case.
On April 25, District Court Judge Roy K. Altman sentenced Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, who was extradited from Portugal, to 97 months (eight years) in prison for his role in the scheme, describing the defendant’s offence conduct as “an incredibly serious crime” and stating that it merited a substantial sentence because it was important “to stand up for the most vulnerable, for the least protected members of our society who have done absolutely nothing wrong.”
US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jason A. Reding Quiñones said, “Schemes like this steal not only money but dignity from our seniors.
“Our office stands with victims, ensures their voices are heard, and will relentlessly pursue those who prey on them.”
