Ten Nigerian nationals, alongside their co-conspirators, have been convicted in the United States of running Nigerian-linked transnational internet fraud syndicates that defrauded individuals and businesses to the tune of $125 million. 

The criminals include Oluwafemi Michael Awoyemi, Ayobami Osas Christopher, Emmanuel ‘Omo Igbo’ Okereke, Olalekan ‘Ola Bash’ Bashiru, Casey Adesulu Jr, Jeremiah Agina, Ademola Balogun, Olabode Bankole, Chukwuemeka Evulukwu, and Ayorinde Emmanuel Adebayo. 

In a statement by the U.S. attorney’s office on Thursday, the Nigerians were part of a group of 25 defendants who were convicted of fraud and money laundering charges following a four-day trial at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. 

Three defendants chose to have jury trials, while the others entered guilty pleas. 

The prosecutors argued in court that the defendants were part of Nigerian-linked fraud gangs that specialised in targeting individuals, businesses and other organisations across several states in the U.S. through cyberattacks aimed at gaining access to e-mail accounts held by individual users. 

Authorities stated the hacks enabled the gang to obtain sensitive information about each user, which they then used to send convincing fraudulent emails to their victims or individuals communicating with them, requesting payment for supposed legitimate business activities.

“Their objective was to gain access to e-mail accounts held by individual users. The co-conspirators would then monitor the communications and other activities of the individual email users to learn about their business practices and contacts,” the attorney’s office said. 

Additionally, they targeted victims from countries outside the United States, including Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Panama, Bermuda, Romania, and other nations.

Officials also confirmed that upon receiving the illicit money from their victims, the gang members would immediately use a web of fraudulently created bank accounts and cash transfer systems to launder and distribute the funds.

Other members of the gang are Mark Dabney, India Barnes, Emmanuel Essilfie, Jeremiah Glinsey, Lon Goodman, Shaquille Jackson, Mikhail Keize, Katiera Lackey, Kingsley Owusu, Anton Parker, Carlton Pruitt, Ronnell Spencer, Aruan Drake, Peter Reed, and Emily Agyemang.

In total, they made an estimated $125 million from the scheme, with prosecutors alleging that about $50 million from the illicit proceeds were used to purchase cashier’s checks that were presented for payment to the New Dolton Currency Exchange, a Chicago-area money service business owned and operated by co-defendant Lon Goodman.

Prosecutors further disclosed that New Dolton Currency Exchange was used to reroute money payable to shell companies that those individuals controlled, and that the operation even continued despite explicit warnings from banks that checks were obtained with stolen funds or otherwise returned as fraudulent.

“The wire transfers sent by the victims ranged from tens of thousands to millions of dollars. In one instance, a victim business sent $2.7 million to a shell company bank account that was controlled by a conspiracy member,” the statement said.

Upon their apprehension by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, nearly $1.2 million worth of cashier’s checks, cryptocurrency, and cash were seized from the defendants. 

The FBI also confiscated a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch ($45,000), an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch ($30,000), a Richard Mille Felipe Massa watch ($140,000), and a 4,423-square-foot residence in Lawrenceville, Georgia, from them.

They are scheduled to be sentenced at a later date, with sanctions for each defendant determined by factors peculiar to each case, including each defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, their role in the offence, and the characteristics of the violation.