Crime
Nigerian-Descent Ex-Airmen Get 15+ Years for Cyber Fraud
Two Nigerian Members of US Air Force Jailed 189 Months Over $2.4m Fraud
Two Delaware-based men of Nigerian descent and former United States Air Force members have been sentenced to a combined 189 months in prison for their roles in an international cyber fraud scheme involving phishing attacks and stolen financial information.
Chijioke Odimegwu, 25, was sentenced to 111 months in prison and ordered to pay $366,617.59 in restitution, while Harafat Mogaji, 26, received 78 months and was ordered to pay $995,680.45 in restitution, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The pair, who were serving in the U.S. Air Force at the time, allegedly spent nearly two years targeting businesses across the United States through email spamming and phishing campaigns designed to steal employee usernames and passwords.
Prosecutors said the stolen credentials were later used alongside spoofed email addresses made to resemble those of victims or their business partners.
The scheme allowed the conspirators to manipulate communications and redirect legitimate business payments into accounts under their control.
Among the transactions, the conspirators fraudulently diverted more than $1.68 million sent by an Iowa City, Iowa, victim to a Chicago bank account linked to the scheme.
They also redirected more than $720,000 from an Ohio victim.
Investigators said the men made several other attempts to divert wire transfers from businesses in Iowa and elsewhere in the United States.
Their phishing operations also harvested sensitive financial data, including bank account details, PINs, and credit and debit card information. The stolen data reportedly included credit card information belonging to a nonprofit organisation in Pella, Iowa.
According to the DOJ, the men also obtained stolen financial information from co-conspirators and attempted to use the details to carry out unauthorised purchases and financial transactions.
Both men were taken into custody after sentencing and will each serve three years of supervised release after completing their prison terms.