17 Nigerians Sentenced in $6 Million Inheritance Fraud Targeting Elderly U.S. Victims
Seventeen Nigerians have been sentenced for their roles in a transnational inheritance fraud scheme that defrauded over 400 elderly victims in the United States of more than $6 million.
The scheme involved sending personalized letters to victims, falsely claiming they were entitled to multimillion-dollar inheritances from deceased relatives in Portugal.
Victims were instructed to send money for delivery fees, taxes, and other payments to receive their purported inheritances. The fraudsters utilized a complex network of U.S.-based former victims to receive and forward the illicit funds.
Ezennia Peter Neboh, sentenced to 128 months in prison,
Kennedy Ikponmwosa, sentenced to 87 months in prison.,
Emmanuel Samuel, sentenced to 82 months in prison.,
Jerry Chucks Ozor, sentenced to 87 months in prison,
Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham, sentenced to 90 months in prison.
All defendants were ordered to pay restitution exceeding $6 million to the victims.
The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the U.S. Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and international partners from the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal.
This case underscores the importance of international cooperation in combating transnational fraud schemes that target vulnerable populations. Authorities continue to urge individuals, especially seniors, to remain vigilant against such scams.
