Nigerian arrested in connection with inheritance fraud scheme in U.S.

Nigerian national was arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport on Dec. 7 and arraigned today in Miami in connection with an inheritance fraud scheme.

Amos Prince Okey Ezemma, 50, of Lagos, Nigeria, faces federal charges in Miami. His co-defendants, Ezennia Peter Neboh, Kennedy Ikponmwosa, Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham, 44, Emmanuel Samuel, 39, and Jerry Chucks Ozor, 43, of London, were all previously arrested in April 2022 by authorities in Madrid and London.

Mr Ezemma remained a fugitive until his surrender and arrest.

“Schemes that prey on the elderly are particularly insidious,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. 

“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch will pursue and prosecute transnational criminals who defraud U.S. consumers, wherever they are located. I thank the Kingdom of Spain, including the Spanish National Police and the Ministry of Justice and our law enforcement partners in the United Kingdom and in Nigeria, for their tireless efforts in assisting U.S. authorities to find and arrest this fugitive so that he may face charges here in the United States.”

According to court documents, Mr Ezemma is alleged to have operated an inheritance fraud scheme. Over the course of more than five years, he allegedly sent personalised letters to elderly consumers in the United States. 

The letters falsely claimed that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left for the recipient by a family member who purportedly had died years before in Spain. 

Mr Ezemma allegedly told a series of lies to consumers including that, before they could receive their purported inheritance, they were required to send money for delivery fees and taxes and instructed to make other payments. 

Mr Ezemma allegedly collected money sent in response to the fraudulent letters through a complex web of U.S.-based former victims, whom the defendants convinced to receive money and forward to the defendants or persons associated with them.

According to the indictment, victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has a long tradition of protecting citizens from these types of schemes and bringing those responsible to justice,” said Postal Inspector in Charge Juan A. Vargas of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Miami Division. “This arrest is a testament of the dedicated partnership between the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, to protect our citizens from these scams.”

“The arrest of the final defendant brings us one step closer to ensuring that those who conned elderly victims for pure financial greed are brought to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown of HSI Arizona. “This recent arrest demonstrates the tenacity of HSI and our law enforcement partners to target offenders wherever they may live to answer for their crimes.”

Mr Ezemma is charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Ezemma was arraigned yesterday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Becerra of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He has been detained pending trial. If convicted, Ezemma faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Five other defendants have already been convicted and sentenced in connection with this scheme. On Nov. 1, the Honorable Kathleen M. Williams sentenced Neboh, who was extradited from Spain, to 128 months in prison. On Oct. 20, Judge Williams sentenced another defendant who was also extradited from Spain, Ikponmwosa, to 97 months in prison. Three other defendants who were extradited from the United Kingdom also received prison sentences. Judge Williams sentenced Samuel, Ozor and Abraham to 82 months in prison, 87 months in prison and 90 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the scheme.

The Consumer Protection Branch, USPIS and HSI are investigating the case.

Senior Trial Attorney and Transnational Criminal Litigation Coordinator Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorneys Josh Rothman and Brianna Gardner of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service at the U.S. Consulate in Lagos, Nigeria, all provided critical assistance.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.

For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Information about the Justice Department’s Elder Fraud Initiative is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice.