Nigerian Man On FBI Cyber’s Most Wanted List Gets 45 Months For $6m Wire Fraud

Nigerian Man On FBI Cyber’s Most Wanted List Gets 45 Months For $6m Wire Fraud

Alex Ogunshakin, a 41-year-old Nigerian national, was sentenced to 45 months in federal prison in Omaha, Nebraska, for his involvement in a wire fraud scheme that defrauded two U.S.-based businesses of over $6 million. Senior U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard handed down the sentence on October 31, 2024, after Ogunshakin pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to wire fraud.

Ogunshakin, who had been on the FBI’s Cyber Most Wanted list, was extradited to the United States in 2023 following a lengthy investigation. The fraud scheme, which began in 2015 and lasted until 2016, involved the use of business email compromise tactics, where Ogunshakin and his co-conspirators hacked email accounts of U.S. companies to send fraudulent wire transfer instructions. They impersonated CEOs or other executives to deceive employees into transferring funds to bank accounts they controlled.

The fraud targeted over 70 businesses across the U.S., leading to losses exceeding $6 million and attempted losses surpassing $30 million. Ogunshakin, along with his associates, primarily operated from Nigeria and coordinated the scheme remotely. His arrest followed an international cooperation effort between Nigerian authorities and U.S. agencies, including the FBI.

Upon completing his sentence, Ogunshakin will serve a three-year term of supervised release and face potential deportation to Nigeria. His co-conspirator, Adewale Akinloye, was sentenced to 96 months in prison in 2019, while others involved in the scheme, including Richard Uzuh, Felix Okpoh, and Nnamdi Benson, remain at large. Efforts to extradite co-conspirator Abiola Kayode are still ongoing.

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lecia E. Wright for the District of Nebraska.

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