International Fraud Ring Busted: Three Nigerians Sentenced in the U.S.

• Three Nigerians busted for fraud in US
• Their sentences was announced on Thursday 
• They specialized in defrauding older people in America 

Three Nigerians have been sentenced to different jail terms in the United States for being part of an international fraud scheme. The scheme started in Nigeria and often targeted elderly people.

The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark A. Totten, announced the sentences on Wednesday. The three individuals had pleaded guilty in July 2024.

• EDITOR’s PICK 
• Alli-Balogun Warns Lagos Teachers to Put End to Mass Promotion
• Opposition Slams FG Over N55bn Allocation For Presidential Jet Maintenance
• Kanu Demands Change Of Judge, Rejects Trial Resumption

“This kind of fraud is not victimless,” said Attorney Totten.

“Some victims lost their life savings, took loans on their homes, or faced other money problems because of these lies. The criminals used the internet and social media, tools we rely on every day, to cheat vulnerable people. My office will keep fighting for justice for these victims.”

Fatai Okunola, 38, from Michigan, was sentenced to 121 months (10 years and 1 month) for fraud. He also received 60 months (5 years) for lying during his U.S. citizenship application and 120 months (10 years) for laundering money. His sentences will run at the same time. He must pay back $731,879.16 and will face deportation after serving his sentence.

Oluwaseyi Adeola, 34, from Texas, was sentenced to 34 months (almost 3 years) in prison for his role in the fraud. He must pay back $409,968.93.

Ijeoma Adeola, 36, also from Texas, received 3 years of probation for hiding a crime and helping to cover it up. She must pay back $48,570.

Cory McDougal, 33, from Illinois, has also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced later.

The group worked with people in Nigeria to trick victims, mainly older people in the U.S., into sending them money. They used fake online identities to form relationships with victims. Sometimes, they pretended to be interested in romance, selling goods, renting apartments, or offering loans and grants.

They used pictures and fake information to make their scams look real. They also made phone calls using technology to make it seem like they were calling from nearby.

Once they gained the victims’ trust, they asked for money for various fake reasons. The victims sent the money through bank transfers, mail, or apps like Zelle or PayPal.

• FURTHER READING 
• Tinubu Returns to Abuja After Holidays and Ghana Visit
• Politics2027 Power Play Begins as Elrufai, Atiku Allies Meet SDP Leadership
• TechTop Tech Gadgets Nigerians Want in 2025

The group set up fake businesses and used aliases to receive the money. They then sent some of the money to other members of the group, their accounts in Nigeria, or used it to buy and ship cars to Nigeria.

Between 2017 and 2022, the group received more than $2 million from the scam.

Click Here For Video of The Week 

---

Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:

Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.

Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.

Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611