Our correspondent from Nigeria
US authorities have charged three Nigerian nationals – William Elvis, Musa Hezekiah, and Destiny Ogentega – in a federal court in Rhode Island, on suspicion of involvement in an online fraud scheme that lured victims with fake romantic relationships and illegal money transfers.
Court documents state that the defendants face charges of conspiracy to commit fraud through electronic money transfers.
The plan was launched in 2021
The documents indicate that the fraudulent scheme began in early 2021, involving multiple parties who targeted victims by impersonating individuals online. According to the indictment, the defendants and their accomplices posed as professionals working outside the United States and cultivated long-term relationships with victims to gain their trust before soliciting money.
Enticement methods and money transfer techniques
According to the statement, the victims—including an elderly man living in Rhode Island—received repeated requests to transfer money under the pretext of financial hardship, legal problems, or medical emergencies.
The victims were asked to send money via gift cards, Bitcoin transactions, and other means, including transfers to accounts controlled by participants in the scheme.
Track communications and transfers to Nigeria
Investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that the identities used in the scheme were stolen and used without the knowledge of their rightful owners.
Investigators were also able to trace communications and financial activities related to the fraud back to the accused within Nigeria.
Significant financial losses and a legal warning
The prosecution explained that the victims lost significant sums of money throughout the duration of the scheme. However, the statement emphasized that these charges remain legal allegations, and the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
A separate case involving a Nigerian man in California.
In a separate development, the US prosecution announced that Nigerian citizen Ifeanyi Ogwu, who resides in the United States, faces the possibility of years in prison after pleading guilty to operating an unlicensed money transfer business that handled more than $5 million worth of illegally obtained funds.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, Eric Grant, explained that Ogwu ran this business between December 2020 and August 2023 in Bakersfield, California.
