A 36-year-old Nigerian, Okezie Ogbata, has been charged in a Florida district court for orchestrating a transnational inheritance fraud scheme that defrauded more than 400 elderly and vulnerable victims of over $6 million.
Last Wednesday, the Southern District of Florida found Ogbata guilty of the fraudulent scheme, which involved him and his co-conspirators sending deceptive letters to victims.
The letters falsely claimed the recipients were entitled to a large inheritance left by a deceased family member, with instructions to pay various “delivery fees,” taxes, and other charges to avoid government scrutiny.
The letters, which claimed to be from a representative of a bank in Spain, were part of a sophisticated scam designed to exploit the victims.
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Ogbata, who pled guilty to the charges, admitted to defrauding over $6 million from the victims, many of whom were elderly or vulnerable.
General Brian Boynton, Head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, praised international cooperation in tackling such crimes, calling the case “a testament to the critical role of collaboration in fighting transnational fraud.”
Ogbata’s sentencing is scheduled for April 14, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Roy Altman, with the possibility of a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
