- Three Nigerians jailed for $2m fraud.
- They Targeted Senior Citizens targeted online.
- Sentences include prison and restitution.
Three Nigerians have been sentenced in the United States for orchestrating a $2 million fraud scheme that preyed on older and vulnerable individuals, U.S. authorities revealed.
Fatai Okunola, 38, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, received the harshest penalty, a prison sentence of just over 10 years.
He was also ordered to pay restitution exceeding $730,000.
Okunola faced concurrent sentences: five years for making false naturalization statements and 10 years for money laundering.
In Dallas, Texas, Oluwaseyi Adeola, 34, was sentenced to nearly three years in prison and ordered to pay approximately $410,000 in restitution.
Ijeoma Adeola, 36, received three years of probation and must pay close to $49,000 in restitution for misprision of a felony.
According to court documents, the defendants collaborated with partners in Nigeria to defraud U.S. residents, particularly Older people.
The scammers used fake identities to build online relationships through social media, text messages, and phone calls, eventually convincing victims to send money.
Once funds were received, the defendants laundered the money through multiple bank accounts, P.O. boxes, and shell businesses.
Okunola also used some proceeds to facilitate the purchase and shipment of cars to Nigeria.
The scheme, which operated from 2017 to 2022, defrauded victims of over $2 million.
Some victims lost their life savings, took loans against their homes, or faced severe financial hardship.
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten condemned the defendants’ actions, stating, “Financial fraud is not a ‘faceless’ crime, these sentencings provide a measure of justice for victims.”
He highlighted the misuse of modern technology to exploit vulnerable individuals.
