NEW YORK, NY — Two Nigerian fraudsters, Nosakhare Nobore and Solomon Aluko, have been arrested in the United States for their roles in orchestrating a massive $50 million scam to defraud U.S. citizens and the government using a ‘Fraud Bible.’
The duo was charged in a four-count criminal indictment unsealed Thursday by Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew Podolsky. They are accused of being part of a gang involved in a nationwide scheme to steal millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds.
According to the indictment, Nobore and Aluko, along with four other accomplices (Jorge Gonzalez, Leonard Ujkic, Nicholas Pappas, and Shan Anand), conspired to steal up to $80 million from the U.S. government, banks, and individuals. The scheme, which ran from 2021 to 2025, involved fraudulently obtaining checks and laundering the stolen money across several cities in the U.S.
The fraudsters used the ‘Fraud Bible,’ a guide containing instructions on committing fraud, to carry out their illegal activities. They also created a Telegram channel called ‘2021 Fraud Bible’ to openly discuss their dealings and share tactics for defrauding Americans.
The suspects specialized in identity theft, stealing personal information to open fake bank accounts, often with the help of a bank teller from a major American institution. They would deposit counterfeited or fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury checks into these accounts, using sham businesses or stolen identities.
Most of the stolen funds were provided by the government as COVID-19 relief, which the fraudsters obtained by submitting false filings to the IRS for the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) and Qualified Sick Leave Wages (QSLW) credit. Despite attempting to steal $80 million, the group succeeded in cashing out $50 million over four years.
Once the checks were deposited, the defendants withdrew the funds in cash or transferred them to other bank accounts under their control.
The accused face severe charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud (30 years in prison), conspiracy to commit money laundering (20 years), conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government (10 years), and aggravated identity theft (a mandatory two-year sentence). The case highlights the growing concern over fraud during times of crisis, and authorities are determined to hold those responsible accountable.
