A wide-ranging international fraud and money laundering scheme inspired by the infamous Nigerian prince email scams took a large hit on Thursday when federal prosecutors indicted 80 people from around the world following a three-year FBI investigation.
Authorities unsealed a 252-count grand jury indictment charging 80 suspects, most of them Nigerian, in a major conspiracy to steal millions of dollars through a network of fraudulent schemes and then launder the money through a network based in LA.
Dubbed the ‘largest case of its kind’ in US history, 14 arrests were made in Southern California on Thursday. Two of the other defendants named in the indictment were already in federal custody on other charges and six others, believed to be in the US, remain at large.
The lead defendants named in the indictment, Valentine Iro, 31, of Carson and Chukwudi Christogunus Igbokwe, 38, of Gardena, allegedly coordinated the laundering of the ill-gotten funds, in exchange for a cut of the money.
The remainder of the 80 indicted are said to be based overseas.
A wide-ranging international fraud and money laundering scheme inspired by the infamous Nigerian prince email scams took a large hit on Thursday when federal prosecutors indicted 80 people from around the world following a three-year FBI investigation (pictured: one suspect escorted away in cuffs on Thursday in a downtown Los Angeles parking lot after predawn raids that saw dozens of people arrested)
Authorities unsealed a 252-count grand jury indictment charging 80 suspects, most of them Nigerian, in a major conspiracy to steal millions of dollars through a network of fraudulent schemes and launder the money through a network based in LA
Dubbed the ‘largest case of its kind’ in US history, 14 arrests were made in Southern California on Thursday. Two of the other defendants named in the indictment were already in federal custody on other charges and six others remain at large, reportedly in the US
According to the criminal complaint, the schemes used by the believed syndicate included online romances, fake business emails and targeting of the elderly to steal at least $6 million, with attempts to take an additional $40 million from victims in the US and across the globe.
‘Those fraud schemes have evolved and become much more sophisticated. Nigerian fraud networks now target individuals and businesses alike,’ said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna, NBC4 reported.
Paul Delacourt, the FBI Assistant Director in Charge, added: ‘The romance scams prey on vulnerable populations, but the BEC (Business Email Compromised fraud) victims are often reputable companies and conscientious employees who have been fooled by sophisticated cyber frauds into transferring money.’
One such romance scam listed in the document details exchanges between a Japanese woman, and what she thought was a US Army Captain stationed in Syria, which started through an international social network dedicated to setting up digital pen pals.
After 10 months, the interactions blossomed into romance for the woman – listed as ‘F.K’ in documents – but the cyber courtship ended up with her being $200,000 poorer and on the verge of bankruptcy after borrowing money from family members and friends to meet the demands of ‘Capt. Terry Garcia’.
Garcia had told FK of a plan he had to smuggle diamonds out of Syria and he needed her financial backing.
‘Those fraud schemes have evolved and become much more sophisticated. Nigerian fraud networks now target individuals and businesses alike,’ said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna (above)
One such romance scam listed in the document details exchanges between a Japanese woman, and what she thought was a US Army Captain stationed in Syria, which started through an international social network dedicated to setting up digital pen pals
In reality, there were no diamonds and Cpt. Garcia didn’t exist. The whole charade came as part of an elaborate scheme hatched by the international ring of thieves.
The FBI’s probe first began in 2016 with a one bank account and a single victim. It spiraled out from there, encompassing hundreds of victims, some of whom, like FK, lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
‘F.K. was and is extremely depressed and angry about these losses,’ the federal complaint states. ‘She began crying when discussing the way that these losses have affected her.’
Her relationship with ‘Garcia’ first began in March 2016, but soon after her digital pen pal began making ‘romantic overtures’.
He told her they couldn’t talk by phone because he wasn’t allowed to use one while on military duty in the Middle-East.
The FBI’s probe first began in 2016 with a one bank account and a single victim. It spiraled out from there, encompassing hundreds of victims, some of whom, like FK, lost hundreds of thousands of dollars
FK made around 35 to 40 payments to Garcia to support the Syria diamond sham, receiving as many as 10 to 15 emails a day requesting her to send money to bank accounts in the US, Turkey and the UK.
The woman was even threatened with arrest by the fraudsters if she failed to meet their payment demands.
At one stage, FK traveled to Los Angeles because a Russian bank manger had embezzled $33,000 of her money.
Each of the defendants named in the indictment is charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to launder money and aggravated identity theft. Several also face additional fraud and money laundering charges.