NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Nigerian national was convicted by a federal jury in New Haven on Wednesday for operating a business email compromise scheme out of numerous countries, including the United States, according to U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery.
Among the victims were a Connecticut-based financial company, a Colorado-based lending company, an Alaska-based nonprofit performing arts organization and a New York-based food and beverage company. Prosecutors said the scheme resulted in losses and intended losses over $6.3 million.
Okechuckwu Valentine Osuji, 39, of Nigeria, and his co-conspirators pretended to be trustworthy entities in electronic communications and obtained money by targeting specific individuals and businesses, according to court documents and evidence presented at trial.
Those documents, as well as the evidence, show that Osuji and his accomplices used unwitting and witting “money mules” to receive fraud proceeds in their bank accounts. They then transferred those funds to accounts under their control or converted the stolen funds into cash for further transfer.
Prosecutors noted that the scheme lasted multiple years and tricked numerous victims into transferring funds into bank accounts they believed were controlled by legitimate recipients as part of a legitimate business operation. In reality, the accounts were controlled by Osuji and his co-conspirators.
“While it is often difficult to identify and bring justice to cybercriminals operating overseas, today’s verdict demonstrates the expertise of the (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and Stamford police in uncovering this criminal network, and the shared commitment of our counterparts in Malaysia to ensure that fraudsters are held accountable in a court of law,” Avery said. “We will continue to work to root out those who engage in internet fraud schemes, no matter where in the world they operate, and achieve justice for victims of these crimes.”
The release noted that Osuji led a network of scammers in Malaysia and elsewhere by perpetrating a complex international business email compromise scheme and laundering millions in stolen proceeds. The conviction was a result of the FBI’s collaboration with its international partners.
“Today’s verdict provides a bit of closure to some victims of these often financially crippling crimes,” Special Agent in Charge of the FBI New Haven Division Robert Fuller said. “It also displays our international ability to bring criminal actors to justice despite the complexities of their crimes.”
Avery noted that the jury convicted Osuji of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identify theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24.
Osuji was arrested in Malaysia and extradited to the U.S. in 2022; he faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of two years on the identify theft count and a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison for the wire fraud and conspiracy counts.
His alleged co-conspirator, John Wamuigah, is still in Malaysia and is pending extradition proceedings. Another co-conspirator, Tolulope Bodunde, pleaded guilty on Feb. 16 and is awaiting sentencing, according to the release.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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