The United States Attorney’s Office has confirmed the conviction of 25 individuals involved in a large-scale email fraud and money laundering operation that defrauded more than 1,000 victims across 19 countries of about $215 million.
In a statement released on Thursday, the office said the convictions were secured on April 24, following investigations into a scheme widely known as “business email compromise” (BEC).
Among those convicted are four Nigerian nationals: Emmanuel Okereke (also known as Omo Igbo), Olalekan Bashiru (Ola Bash), Jeremiah Agina, and Ademola Balogun.
Five others — Ayobami Osas Christopher (aka Lovely Man), Ayorinde Emmanuel Adebayo, Olabode Bankole, Chukwuemeka Evulukwu, and Kingsley Owusu — are naturalised U.S. citizens of Nigerian descent.
Another defendant, Oluwafemi Michael Awoyemi, was named in a related trial, though authorities did not clarify his nationality.
Court documents revealed that members of the syndicate hacked into email accounts belonging to individuals and businesses, monitoring communications to understand ongoing transactions. Using this insider knowledge, they sent fraudulent payment requests that appeared legitimate to unsuspecting victims.
Funds obtained from victims were then routed through a network of fake bank accounts and transfer systems to conceal their origin and distribute proceeds among the conspirators.
Investigators disclosed that about $50 million of the stolen funds was converted into cashier’s cheques and processed through a Chicago-based money service business operated by a co-defendant, Lon Goodman. Authorities said Goodman knowingly accepted fraudulent cheques, often backed by false identification and fabricated Know-Your-Customer (KYC) details, even after warnings from banks.
Victims of the scam were spread across several countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Panama, Bermuda, and Romania. Individual losses ranged from tens of thousands to millions of dollars, with one business reportedly losing $2.7 million in a single transaction.
During the investigation, law enforcement agents seized assets worth millions of dollars, including about $1.2 million in cashier’s cheques, cash, and cryptocurrency, as well as luxury items such as high-end watches and a residential property in Georgia.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, alongside the US Postal Inspection Service and the US Border Patrol, led the investigation.
Sentencing for the convicted individuals will be determined by the court, based on factors such as their roles in the scheme, criminal history, and the scale of their involvement.
