A Nigerian man identified as Amos Prince Okey Ezemma has been sentenced to 85 months in prison in the United States for his involvement in a transnational inheritance fraud scheme.
Following Ezemma’s sentencing on Monday, July 22, 2024, each of the six defendants who had a role to play in the international fraud scheme has been sentenced.
“Amos Prince Okey Ezemma, 50, was a member of a group of fraudsters that sent personalized letters to elderly victims in the United States, falsely claiming 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 years before in Portugal,” the court documents read.
Also according to the court documents, the victims were informed that before they could get their purported inheritance, they would have to send money for delivery fees and taxes after which they were directed to make other payments.
The documents revealed that the victims thereafter sent their money to the defendants through a complex web of former victims who are based in the United States.
The defendant and his co-conspirators were said to have also convinced some former victims to receive money from new ones and then forward the fraud proceeds to the others.
“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch will continue to pursue, prosecute and bring to justice transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers, wherever they are located,” the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division stated.
“This case is testament to the critical role of international collaboration in tackling transnational crime. I want to thank the members of the Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the Spanish National Police, National Crime Agency and Portuguese Judicial Police for their outstanding contributions to this case.”
The Inspector in charge, Juan A. Vargas of the USPIS Miami Division added: “This investigation is a great example of the results the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Justice Department and our law enforcement partners strive to achieve.
“We will continue to identify and dismantle transnational groups targeting American citizens and using the mail to further their schemes to defraud. Justice has no borders.”
Special Agent in Charge Fransisco B. Burrola of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Arizona said: “Targeting the elderly for pure financial gain is beyond shameful, it’s morally reprehensible.
“Protecting such a vulnerable population is not just the responsibility of family members but also law enforcement agencies like HSI and our partners.
“Together, we are a force multiplier committed to apprehending those who scam our seniors. Let these lengthy sentences serve as reminders that HSI will not tolerate criminals who are motivated by greed.”
