Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The United States Government has revealed that 80 defendants, most of whom are Nigerians have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and aggravated identity theft.
This was disclosed late night yesterday in a statement issued by the Department of Justice which said that a number of the defendants, are also facing substantive fraud and money laundering charges.
The indictment was unsealed after law enforcement authorities yesterday morning arrested 14 defendants across the United States, with 11 of those arrests taking place in the Los Angeles region.
A 252-count federal grand jury indictment charged 80 defendants, most of whom are Nigerian nationals, with participating in a massive conspiracy to steal millions of dollars through a variety of fraud schemes and launder the funds through a Los Angeles-based money laundering network.
The statement added: “Two defendants were already in federal custody on other charges, and one was arrested earlier this week, noting that the remaining defendants are believed to be abroad, with most them located in Nigeria.
“According to a criminal complaint also unsealed today, co-conspirators based in Nigeria, the United States and other countries contacted the lead defendants in the indictment – Valentine Iro, 31, of Carson, and Chukwudi Christogunus Igbokwe, 38, of Gardena, both Nigerian citizens – for bank and money-service accounts that could receive funds fraudulently obtained from victims.
“Once members of the conspiracy convinced victims to send money under false pretenses, Iro and Igbokwe coordinated the receipt of funds and oversaw an extensive money-laundering network, according to the 145-page indictment.”
“The indictment alleges that the 80 defendants and others used various online fraud schemes – including business email compromise (BEC) frauds, romance scams, and schemes targeting the elderly – to defraud victims out of millions of dollars.”
