A Nigerian man has been sentenced to more than eight years in a U.S. prison for his involvement in a sophisticated inheritance fraud scheme that swindled over 400 elderly Americans out of more than $6 million.
Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, 41, was sentenced on September 11 to 97 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Akhimie is the eighth defendant to be sentenced in connection with the sprawling international fraud ring.
Another Nigerian national, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, was extradited from Portugal and received an identical 97-month sentence in April.
Court filings reveal that Akhimie and his co-conspirators mailed personalised letters to victims, impersonating officials from a Spanish bank.
The letters falsely claimed that the recipients were entitled to a multimillion-dollar inheritance from a deceased relative overseas.
The fraudsters then tricked victims into paying a series of fabricated "processing fees," including delivery charges and taxes, to access the non-existent inheritance.
"Schemes like this steal not only money but dignity from our seniors. Our Office stands with victims, ensures their voices are heard, and will relentlessly pursue those who prey on them," said U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones.
The victims' payments were never used for any inheritance. Instead, the money was funnelled through a network of intermediaries, which included former fraud victims who were manipulated into becoming unwitting conduits.
The Department of Justice confirmed that none of the victims ever received their promised funds; rather, the fraudsters used the stolen money to enrich themselves while preying on society's most vulnerable.
The case was jointly investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division highlighted the critical role of international cooperation in dismantling cross-border scams, crediting authorities in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal for their support.
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