Politics
Multi-Million Dollar Fraud: Nigerian Man Faces 8-Year Prison Sentence In United States
Multi-Million Dollar Fraud: Nigerian Man Faces 8-Year Prison Sentence In United States....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Omoyoma Christopher Okoro, a 50-year-old Nigerian man, has been sentenced to 100 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for his involvement in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme. Okoro, who became a naturalized U.S. citizen after moving from Nigeria in 2013, was found guilty on multiple fraud charges following a five-day jury trial in September 2023….CONTINUE READING
On September 19, 2024, he was sentenced and also ordered to pay $22,565,929.18 in restitution, along with five years of supervised release upon completing his prison term. The charges against him included conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution, mail fraud affecting a financial institution, and bank fraud, as well as multiple counts of wire and mail fraud.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Okoro participated in a fraudulent operation targeting attorneys in the U.S. from 2006 to 2010. This scheme, dubbed the “attorney collection scheme,” involved misleading legal professionals by posing as a client from abroad who claimed to need legal representation. The purported client would allege they were owed money from a U.S. party due to a business transaction or settlement.
If an attorney responded to the inquiry, they would be told that a settlement was agreed upon, and shortly thereafter, a counterfeit “official check” would be mailed to the attorney. The attorney was instructed to deposit the check into their escrow account, retain a portion as payment for services, and wire the remaining funds to a foreign bank account, often located in East Asia. Once the funds were transferred, they were promptly withdrawn by a conspirator, usually before the attorney realized the check was fraudulent.
Karam noted that trial evidence revealed Okoro was in contact with several members of the conspiracy and was involved in confirming wire transfers to foreign accounts. The operation is believed to have resulted in over $23 million in fraudulent proceeds and attempted fraud exceeding $80 million.
Okoro is the latest individual prosecuted in connection with the attorney collection scheme, which has seen previous defendants such as Emmanuel Ekhator, Yvette Mathurin, and Kingsley Osagie brought to justice. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ravi Romel Sharma and David C. Williams leading the prosecution.
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