The United States Department of Justice has opened investigations into 4 Nigerians and 11 others on an eighteen-million-dollar fraud case.
According to PremiumTimes Nigeria, 4 Nigerians and 11 others have been implicated in a fraud case totaling up to $18million in a New York court. The 15 suspects were said to have perpetuated several fraud schemes including forgery, impersonation and stealing of victims’ identity which they used to set up fictitious bank accounts to perpetrate fraud, and wire fraud.
The four Nigerians named in the investigation are OLADAYO OLADOKUN, FAROUK KUKOYI, BALDWIN OSUJI, and HENRY OGBUOKIRI.
The other people implicated along with the 4 Nigerians in the fraud case are 11 citizens of different Nationals which include Americans. Their names are JOSHUA HICKS, ANTHONY LEE NELSON, DERRICK BANKS, IBRAHIMA DOUKOURA, JAMAR SKEETE, PAUL YAW OSEI, JR., KOWAN POOLE, DARREL WILLIAMS, DARYL BARTLEY, GARNET STEVEN MURRAY-SESAY (aka STEVEN GARNET MURRAY-SESAY, and ANDREW HEAVEN.
According to Premium Times, The US Attorney for Southern District of New York Geoffrey S. Berman and the Commissioner of the Police Department for New York City together with the Inspector-in-Charge of the New York Division of the U.S Postal Inspection Services Philip R. Bartlett and several other agencies announced the unsealing of the criminal complaint charging the 15 defendants.
According to PremiumTimes, the 15 defendants were charged in the following offenses:
1.) Members of conspiracy to open 60 business bank accounts using the real personal identifying information, including names and social security numbers, of identity theft victims.
2.) Members of the conspiracy deposited money into these bank accounts that they obtained by defrauding victims.
3.) Members of the conspiracy accessed the fraud proceeds by transferring the proceeds into other bank accounts or by withdrawing cash.
About 100 cases of the fraud were allegedly traced to these suspects to date, cumulating in over $18million.
According to Premium Times, all the defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud – a crime that comes with a jail term of 30 years in prison.
Their charge file can be accessed in the documents attached.
