The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement has announced that a Nigerian national, James Junior Aliyu, has been sentenced to 90 months in prison for his involvement in a business email compromise scheme that targeted victims across the United States.
Aliyu, 30, will serve a seven-and-a-half-year sentence for his role in a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy that involved hacking into business email systems to redirect funds, according to a statement released by the agency on Saturday.
The agency confirmed that Aliyu was extradited from South Africa to face prosecution in the United States. He has also been ordered to forfeit $1.2 million and pay $2.4 million in restitution to victims. Upon completion of his prison term, he will be removed from the country.
“ICE Homeland Security Investigations special agents in Maryland and South Africa offices were proud to be part of the international team that investigated this case,” the agency stated.
Court documents from the U.S. Department of Justice, dated August 2025, revealed that Aliyu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. He was the last of three defendants to enter a guilty plea in the case, while eight other individuals had previously pleaded guilty in separate but related cases in the District of Maryland.
According to court filings, a federal grand jury returned an indictment on June 24, 2019, charging Aliyu alongside Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu. The indictment remained sealed until July 6, 2022, when the defendants were arrested outside the United States. All three were subsequently extradited to face trial.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, announced the plea alongside Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella.
From February 2017 until at least July 2017, Aliyu conspired with others to carry out a business email compromise scheme, according to the plea agreement.
The group gained unauthorised access to email accounts belonging to individuals and businesses they targeted. They then sent fake wiring instructions from spoofed email addresses designed to appear legitimate, tricking victims into sending money to bank accounts controlled by the perpetrators.
The syndicate also engaged in money laundering, using drop accounts to receive the fraudulently obtained funds. They disbursed the money through account transfers, cash withdrawals, cashier’s checks, and standard checks to conceal the true ownership and origin of the assets.
The Department of Justice stated that the intended loss from transactions directly involving Aliyu was at least $4,162,211.65, while the actual loss amounted to at least $1,570,475.
Court documents showed that Aliyu directly controlled at least $1,194,565 of the funds obtained from victims.
His plea agreement required him to pay a money judgment of at least $1,194,565 and restitution covering the full amount of victims’ losses, which both parties agreed was at least $2,389,130.
Authorities praised the collaborative efforts that led to Aliyu’s prosecution. U.S. Attorney Hayes commended Homeland Security Investigations’ Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force for its investigative work.
The South African Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa, and South African Police Service also received recognition for their assistance.
The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided significant support in securing Aliyu’s extradition from South Africa, highlighting the cross-border coordination required to bring the case to conclusion.
