Two Nigerians living in the United States, Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu and Harafat Mogaji, have been sentenced to a combined 189 months in federal prison for their roles in an international cyber fraud scheme.

The scheme defrauded businesses of more than $2.4 million.

The men, who were residents of Delaware and members of the US Air Force at the time of the offences, were sentenced on September 25, 2026. The announcement was made by the US Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa.

According to the authorities, Odimegwu and Mogaji worked with other conspirators in the US and abroad for nearly two years. They used email spam and phishing campaigns to steal usernames and passwords from employees’ email accounts, which were then used to facilitate fraudulent wire transfers.

The group also created fake email addresses that looked like those of victims and their business partners. This allowed them to trick businesses into sending legitimate payments to accounts controlled by the conspiracy. In one case, more than $1.68 million from a victim in Iowa was diverted, while another $720,000 from a victim in Ohio was redirected.

Odimegwu was sentenced to 111 months in prison and ordered to pay about $366,618 in restitution. Mogaji received 78 months and was ordered to pay about $995,680. Both men were taken into custody after sentencing and will each serve three years of supervised release after completing their prison terms.

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