A Nigerian man and his wife will be sent back to the country for an alleged fraud scheme that targeted unsuspecting Americans after serving their jail termThe United States Department of Justice revealed this in a statement shared on its website on ThursdayThe US Department of Justice explained how the couple, Edwin Okoronkwo and Julie Okoronkwo, obtained money from their money from their victims through postal services
Henzodaily.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
A Nigerian identified simply as Edwin Okoronkwo, who was sentenced to 75 months imprisonment for defrauding some Americans, will be deported after completing his jail term.
US to deport Nigerian man, wife after jail term. Image for illustration purposes
Photo credit: J. David Ake/Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
US court jails Nigerian and wife, to deport them afterwards
The US Department of Justice made the conviction known in a statement shared on its official website on Thursday, February 6.
The United States Department of Justice revealed that Okoronkwo connived with his wife, Julie Okoronkwo, who was also sentenced to 25 months imprisonment.
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According to the statement, Julie Okoronkwo was jailed for her role in the catfishing scheme that targeted unsuspecting Americans.
The statement disclosed that the convicts who were permanent residents of the US, used stolen identities to disguise themselves as a high-ranking member of the US military to defraud their victims.
It also noted that to make their scam real, Julie often used phone calls to lure the victims into believing the authenticity of their claims.
The convicts were said to have obtained money from their victims through postal services.
The statement read:
‘In some instances, they claimed to be high-ranking members of the United States military on overseas missions. Through the “catfishing” schemes, victims from all over the country were tricked into sending money through the United States Postal Service and other commercial carriers such as FedEx and UPS.”
Catfishing fraud: Nigerian pay $342K restitution before deportation
The statement further noted that following their arrest and prosecution, the judge also ordered Edwin to pay restitution to the tune of $342,535.00 to some of the victims, a supervised release for three years and deportation.
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Federal authorities also emphasised that there is no parole in the U.S. federal system, hence, the man Edwin will serve his full sentence.
“United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Edwin Okoronkwo, age 36, of Nigeria, was sentenced on January 29, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Okoronkwo to 75 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system,” the statement noted.
Read more about Nigerians jailed in US here:
U.S. court sentences Nigerian man to 7 years
Meanwhile, Henzodaily.ng reported that Oludayo Adeagbo, a 45-year-old Nigerian-British man, was sentenced to seven years in U.S. prison for his role in a multi-million dollar business email compromise (BEC) scheme.
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The BEC scam involves gaining unauthorized access to legitimate email accounts or creating fake accounts to deceive victims.
After being extradited from the UK in August 2022, Adeagbo pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy in both Texas and North Carolina.
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Source: Henzodaily.ng