11 Nigerians Charged With Online Fraud, Money Laundering In US

• They were all collectively accused of participating in one or both of a money laundering conspiracy and bank fraud conspiracy…

Eleven Nigerians were indicted by US Justice Department Wednesday with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Patrick J. Freaney, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Secret Service announced the unsealing of the indictment.

As alleged in the indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court, some of the 11 Nigerians were identified as Adedayo John, Oluwadamilola Akinpelu, Kazeem Raheem, Morakinyo Gbeyide and Warris Adenuga a.k.a Blue.

There were also Smart Agunbiade, Lateef Goloba, Samsondeen Goloba, Olawale Olaniyan, Olawoyin Peter Olanrewaju and Emmanuel Oronsaye-Ajayi.

Read also: EFCC Arrests 30 Suspected Internet Fraudsters In Ilorin

They were all collectively accused of participating in one or both of a money laundering conspiracy and bank fraud conspiracy, which received funds stolen from victims.

The charge was in connection with their involvement in laundering millions of dollars in proceeds derived from business email compromises and romance fraud schemes.

Nine defendants were arrested Wednesday in the District of New Jersey and the Eastern District of New York, and were presented before United States Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in the Southern District of New York.

One defendant was arrested in the Southern District of Texas, and was presented in that district’s federal court.

One defendant remains at large.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, the defendants were part of a criminal enterprise that not only defrauded businesses by assuming the online identities of legitimate counterparties, but also preyed on vulnerable elderly people, deceiving victims into sending money in phony romance scams. Thanks to the Secret Service, the defendants are now facing federal felony charges.”

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