Three Nigerians have been sentenced in the United States for their roles in a fraud scheme that frequently targeted elderly and vulnerable victims, according to authorities.
Fatai Okunola, 38, from Kalamazoo, received a prison sentence of just over 10 years for his involvement in the conspiracy.
He was also ordered to pay more than $730,000 in restitution. Okunola was sentenced to five years for making false statements during naturalization and 10 years for money laundering, with the sentences set to run concurrently.
Two residents of Dallas were also sentenced for their roles in the scheme. Oluwaseyi Adeola, 34, received nearly three years in prison and was ordered to pay approximately $410,000 in restitution. Ijeoma Adeola, 36, was sentenced to three years of probation for misprision of a felony and ordered to pay just under $49,000 in restitution.
The defendants conspired with partners in Nigeria to defraud U.S. residents. Their Nigerian collaborators created fake personas and used online platforms, social media, text messages, and phone calls to establish relationships with victims and solicit money.
Victims were instructed to send funds to the defendants, who opened multiple bank accounts and maintained P.O. boxes under alias names and shell businesses. The defendants transferred the stolen funds among themselves and to their Nigerian partners.
Okunola also used some of the funds to help individuals purchase cars in the U.S. and ship them to Nigeria.
Between 2017 and 2022, the fraudulent scheme generated over $2 million.
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten stated, “Financial fraud is not a ‘faceless’ crime — and today’s sentencings help secure a measure of justice for the victims of this international fraud scheme.”
He added that some victims “lost their retirement savings, took loans against their homes, or suffered other financial distress because of the defendants’ lies.”