The individual admitted to stealing $6 million from victims.
A Nigerian national has pleaded guilty to running a transnational inheritance fraud scheme that defrauded many elderly and vulnerable people in the United States, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a July 3 statement.
Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, 41, and his co-conspirators allegedly engaged in a scheme in which they sent personalized letters to elderly Americans, enticing them with the promise of receiving nonexistent inheritances.
“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 had died overseas years before,” the DOJ said.
“Akhimie and his co-conspirators allegedly told a series of lies to victims, including that, before they could receive their purported inheritance, they were required to send money for delivery fees, taxes, and other payments to avoid questioning from government authorities.”
The scammers allegedly collected money from victims through “a complex web of U.S.-based former victims,” the DOJ said. The victims were convinced to receive the money and transfer it to Akhimie and his co-conspirators.
Victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds. Akhimie admitted that he defrauded more than 400 individuals, collecting more than $6 million from them. Many of the victims were either elderly or otherwise vulnerable, the agency said.
Akhimie pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud on June 17 and faces a maximum prison term of 20 years.
“Transnational fraud schemes thrive in the shadows, turning illicit gains into a facade of legitimacy, especially those involving seniors or other vulnerable people,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Ray Rede for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Arizona said.
“HSI and our law enforcement partners’ commitment to investigate criminals who steal money sends a clear message: justice will prevail, and those who exploit others for personal gain will be held accountable.”
Seven other co-conspirators in this fraud scheme were previously convicted and sentenced.
