Two Nigerian nationals, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, have been sentenced to a combined 30 years in federal prison for defrauding United States citizens of $3.5 million.
The U.S. Department of Justice disclosed this in a press release on Monday.
The statement revealed that the duo executed a fraudulent scheme by convincing victims they had substantial inheritances requiring financial assistance to claim.
Victims were instructed to send money with the promise of reimbursement after the inheritance was secured.
The release also detailed their involvement in romance scams, where they built trust through online relationships on social media and dating platforms, only to exploit their victims financially.
The statement read, “An undercover law enforcement investigation has resulted in federal prison sentences for two Nigerian nationals residing in the Chicago suburbs who conducted online inheritance scams and other fraud schemes.
“Using aliases, Anthony Emeka Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu communicated with victims throughout the United States, convincing them they had received substantial inheritances and needed to send money to individuals associated with the defendants in order to claim it.
“In addition to the inheritance scam, the pair carried out an online romance scam that involved communicating with victims via social media and dating websites, building trust with the victims through a purported online romance, and convincing them to send money to a predetermined recipient. Aniukwu and Ibekie also orchestrated a ‘business email compromise’ scam that targeted corporate email accounts.
“The fraud schemes were uncovered by a covert law enforcement investigation. The scams resulted in losses to victims of at least $3.5 million.”
Following their arraignment on multiple charges, the defendants entered guilty pleas. Ibekie, 59, from Oswego, Illinois, received a 20-year prison sentence on Thursday after being convicted earlier this year on 14 counts, including wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, passport fraud, and making false statements to a bank.
Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, Illinois, had already pleaded guilty in 2023 to wire fraud and money laundering and was sentenced on November 8 to 10 years in prison.
The statement elaborated, “A federal jury earlier this year convicted Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, Ill., on all 14 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank, and passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger on Thursday sentenced Ibekie to 20 years in federal prison.
“Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and money laundering charges. Judge Seeger on Nov. 8, 2024, sentenced Aniukwu to 10 years in prison.”
The case also involved Jennifer Gosha, a U.S. citizen, who pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and lying to federal agents. She is set to be sentenced on December 18, 2024.
“A third defendant, Jennifer Gosha, 52, a U.S. citizen from Oak Park, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent. Gosha is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Seeger on December 18, 2024,” the statement stressed.
