US Federal prosecutors have said that an Atlanta
Georgia-based Nigerian, Olufolajimi Abegunde has been sentenced to more than
six years in prison for his role in an internet fraud scheme that stole an
estimated $15m through computer and wire fraud.
The U.S. attorney’s office
in Memphis, Tennessee, said on Thursday, October 24th that the 32-year-old
Abegunde was sentenced Tuesday for wire fraud, the second Nigerian to be
sentenced in less than a week. Last week in Missouri, another Nigerian, Segun
Prosper Otaru was also jailed for cyber fraud.
After his arrest last year, Abegunde lied to Nigerian
officials that his arrest was based on mistaken identity and asked for help to
get him out of the FBI jaws. But court documents showed otherwise.
Prosecutors said the
Atlanta resident and several other people created fake business emails and
profiles on dating websites to trick victims into sending money to bogus bank
accounts. Funds were laundered and wired to destinations in Nigeria, Ghana and
some other West African countries. The scams caused about $15 million in losses
for victims.
Abegunde’s role was
that he helped launder money through a compromised business email of a land
title company located in Bellingham, Washington, and a real estate company in
Memphis, Tennessee.
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