$6m Inheritance Fraud: US Court Jails Nigerian 8 Years

A Nigerian who, with his accomplices posed as bank officials in Spain, sent letters to victims in the United States (US) defrauding them of 6m dollars has been jailed 8 years.

The Nigerian, Ehis Lawrence Akhimie was sentenced by a United States court for his role in the transnational inheritance fraud scheme which left over 400 elderly persons victims.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, in a statement on Monday, said Akhimie, 41, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, and was duly sentenced to 97 months in prison after he pleaded guilty on September 11.

The statement said Akhimie and his accomplices sent personalised letters claiming the recipients were entitled to multimillion-dollar inheritances from relatives who had purportedly died overseas.

According to the Nigerian they had to pay various fees, including delivery charges, taxes, and other payments to avoid “government scrutiny” to enable them claim the bogus inheritances.

The syndicate also recruited former fraud victims, the report said, and was able to  siphon the funds through a network of intermediaries

“Akhimie and his co-conspirators collected money victims sent in response to the fraudulent letters through a complex web of U.S.-based former victims, whom the defendants convinced to receive money and forward to the defendants or persons associated with them.

“Victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds”, the report added.

Akhimie admitted to defrauding over $6 million from more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or otherwise vulnerable,” the statement read, even as it quoted the U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones as describing the offence as a betrayal of trust:

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“Schemes like this steal not only money but dignity from our seniors. Our Office stands with victims, ensures their voices are heard, and will relentlessly pursue those who prey on them,” he said.

Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division stressed the role of global collaboration in tackling cross-border fraud.

“The Justice Department will continue to pursue, prosecute, and bring to justice transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers, wherever they are located. This case is a testament to the critical role of international collaboration in tackling transnational crime.

“I want to thank our U.S. law enforcement partners, as well as those who assisted across the globe, including the National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service of the United Kingdom, for their outstanding contributions to this case,” Shumate said.