By Hannah Johnson
A Nigerian man, Uchenna Nlemchi, has been sentenced to 51 months in prison for his involvement in a romance scam and business email compromise scheme. He is also required to pay $524,000 in restitution and faces a money judgment of $868,295.
Nlemchi was extradited from Hungary to the United States last year, and under federal law, there is no possibility of parole. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office.
According to court documents, the scheme began in 2015, when a co-conspirator, posing as “Sean Bartlett,” persuaded a widow in New Mexico to send money for supposed business expenses. Nlemchi opened bank accounts under his name and that of a fictitious business, “Jay Auto & Machine Parts,” receiving over $375,000 from the victim.
Additionally, a German citizen lost over $200,000, which was also wired to Nlemchi’s accounts. He quickly withdrew and transferred the funds, abandoning the accounts in February 2016.
Details of the fraudulent activities reveal that on September 13, 2015, Nlemchi opened a personal bank account at Amegy Bank, and shortly thereafter, he opened a business account under the name “Jay Auto & Machine Parts.” Over the following months, the victim transferred substantial amounts, including a $170,000 home equity loan directly to Nlemchi’s account.
Nlemchi rapidly withdrew over $868,000 from the fraudulent account before abandoning it as bank investigators began their inquiries. At the time, he was in the U.S. on a student visa while attending Texas Southern University.
Arrested in 2017, Nlemchi was released on electronic monitoring but later escaped, fleeing through Mexico and Brazil before returning to Nigeria. He remained a fugitive for over five years until his arrest in Hungary in 2023.
In February 2024, Nlemchi pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Upon completion of his sentence, he will face deportation proceedings and three years of supervised release.
