Two Nigerians, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, have been sentenced to a combined 30 years in prison by a United States federal jury for defrauding American citizens of $3.5 million.
This was disclosed in a press release published on the US Department of Justice website on Monday.
According to the statement, Ibekie and Aniukwu deceived their victims by claiming they had inherited significant sums of money, which required payments to access. The victims were asked to send money with the promise of reimbursement once the alleged inheritances were released.
The statement also detailed how the pair conducted romance scams, establishing relationships with victims through social media and dating websites. After gaining their trust, they persuaded the victims to send money.
The press release stated:
“An undercover law enforcement investigation has resulted in federal prison sentences for two Nigerian nationals residing in the Chicago suburbs who conducted online inheritance scams and other fraud schemes.
“Using aliases, Anthony Emeka Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu communicated with victims across the United States, convincing them they had received substantial inheritances and needed to send money to individuals associated with the defendants to claim it.
“In addition to the inheritance scam, the pair carried out an online romance scam that involved communicating with victims via social media and dating websites, building trust through a purported online romance, and convincing them to send money to a predetermined recipient. Aniukwu and Ibekie also orchestrated a ‘business email compromise’ scam that targeted corporate email accounts.”
The scams, uncovered through a covert law enforcement operation, resulted in losses totalling at least $3.5 million.
Following their indictment on 14 counts, the duo pleaded guilty to various charges. Ibekie, aged 59, was sentenced last Thursday to 20 years in prison, while Aniukwu, aged 50, was sentenced to 10 years on 8 November.
The statement continued:
“A federal jury earlier this year convicted Ibekie, of Oswego, Illinois, on all 14 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank, and passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced Ibekie to 20 years in federal prison.
“Aniukwu, of Romeoville, Illinois, pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and money laundering charges. Judge Seeger sentenced Aniukwu to 10 years in prison.”
Meanwhile, a co-conspirator, Jennifer Gosha, a US citizen, is set to be sentenced on 18 December after pleading guilty to wire fraud and making false statements to federal agents.
“A third defendant, Jennifer Gosha, 52, a U.S. citizen from Oak Park, Illinois, pleaded guilty earlier this year. She is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Seeger on December 18, 2024,” the statement concluded.