A U.S. court has sentenced 39-year-old Nigerian national Okechukwu Valentine Osuji to eight years in prison for his involvement in a $6 million business email compromise (BEC) scheme.
Osuji was convicted of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The international scam targeted multiple countries, including the United States, by impersonating trusted entities in emails to trick victims into transferring funds to accounts controlled by the criminals. The fraudsters also employed “money mules” to launder the stolen funds, resulting in total losses and intended losses exceeding $6 million.
One of the victims, an elderly woman, lost her life savings and home after being deceived through a romance scam. At sentencing, the court ordered Osuji to pay restitution to the victims.
The case was investigated by the FBI New Haven Field Office and the Stamford Police Department, with support from international law enforcement.
The sentencing was announced by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery for the District of Connecticut, who emphasized their dedication to tackling cybercrime and transnational fraud.
