The orchestrator of a multimillion-dollar inheritance scheme has pleaded guilty to operating international fraud.
This protracted attempt to target vulnerable and elderly Americans was the work of Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, according to court action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The court heard that over four hundred United States citizens were the prey of a coordinated attempt to extort $6 million from them collectively through illicit and misleading means.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Consumer Protection Branch investigated Ogbata and his actions.
“Transnational fraud schemes thrive in the shadows, turning illicit gains into a facade of legitimacy, especially those involving seniors or other vulnerable people,” said Special Agent in Charge Francisco B. Burrola of HSI Arizona. “HSI and our law enforcement partners commitment to investigate criminals who steal money sends a clear message: justice will prevail, and those who exploit others for personal gain will be held accountable.
Man pleads guilty to international fraud actions
A report by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the UK National Crime Agency, and the international offices of Spain and Portugal led to Ogbata pleading guilty.
The collective case against Ogbata’s actions showed that he and his coconspirators penned fraudulent correspondence that “falsely claimed that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance.”
The case and the plethora of evidence against the Nigerian national led to Ogbata admitting to “defrauding over $6 million from more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or otherwise vulnerable.”
He now faces up to a maximum of twenty years in prison for the guilty pleas of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
“The long arm of the American justice system has no limits when it comes to reaching fraudsters who prey on our nation’s most vulnerable populations, to include the elderly,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “We will not allow transnational criminals to steal money from the public we serve. Individuals who defraud American consumers will be brought to justice, no matter where they are located.”
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