A 36-year-old Nigerian, Okezie Ogbata, has been charged in the United States for defrauding more than 400 elderly and vulnerable Americans of over $6 million through a transnational inheritance fraud scheme.
The Southern District of Florida found Ogbata guilty last Wednesday for orchestrating the scheme alongside his accomplices.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Ogbata and his co-conspirators tricked victims by sending fake letters claiming they were representatives of a Spanish bank. The letters falsely stated that the recipients were entitled to a multimillion-dollar inheritance left by a deceased family member overseas.
To make the fraud appear legitimate, the victims were told to send money for delivery fees, taxes, and other payments, supposedly to avoid legal complications.
In his guilty plea, Ogbata admitted to defrauding more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or vulnerable, and stealing a total of over $6 million.
Reacting to the case, General Brian Boynton, Head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said, “This case is a testament to the critical role of international collaboration in tackling transnational crime.”
Ogbata is scheduled to be sentenced on April 14, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Roy Altman. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
