Two Nigerians Jailed 15 Years In US For $5m Fraud

Two Nigerian nationals, Franklin Okwonna and Ebuka Umeti, have been sentenced to 15 years and three months imprisonment in the United States for defrauding several people of over $5 million.

Okwonna, 34, was sentenced to five years and three months on Tuesday by a US federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia for participating in a computer hacking and business email compromise scheme that caused over $5 million in losses to multiple victims.

Umeti, 35, was sentenced on August 27 to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $5 million in restitution. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to cause intentional damage to a protected computer, and intentional damage to a protected computer.

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According to the Office of Public Affairs of the Department of Justice, both Nigerians participated in the fraud with their co-conspirators to dupe several American people and other victims of millions of dollars by using phony business emails while disguising themselves as banks or vendors.