Olayiwola Matthew
A United States court has sentenced a Nigerian national, Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, to more than eight years in prison over his involvement in a transnational inheritance scam that defrauded over 400 elderly victims of more than $6 million.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida disclosed this in a statement on Monday that 41-year-old Akhimie was sentenced on September 11 to 97 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to the conspiracy charges against him.
According to the statement, the court documents show that Akhimie and his accomplices sent personalised letters to victims in the U.S. under the guise of being Spanish bank officials, falsely claiming that the recipients were entitled to a multimillion-dollar inheritance from relatives who had supposedly died overseas.
To gain access to the inheritance, victims were instructed to pay a variety of fees, including delivery charges and taxes, under the guise of avoiding “government scrutiny.” The money they paid was not returned, but instead was funnelled through a network of intermediaries, some of whom were former fraud victims, who were manipulated into acting as conduits for the criminal syndicate.
U.S. prosecutors said no victim received any inheritance. Instead, the fraudsters enriched themselves while targeting some of the most vulnerable members of society.
“Akhimie and his co-conspirators collected money that victims sent in response to the fraudulent letters through a complex web of U.S.-based former victims, whom the defendants convinced to receive money and forward it to the defendants or persons associated with them. Victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds. In pleading guilty, Akhimie admitted to defrauding over $6 million from more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or otherwise vulnerable,” the statement read.
U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones described the offence as a betrayal of trust, “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,” he said.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division stressed the role of global collaboration in tackling cross-border fraud.
“The Justice Department will continue to pursue, prosecute, and bring to justice transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers, wherever they are located. This case is a testament to the critical role of international collaboration in tackling transnational crime.
“I want to thank our U.S. law enforcement partners, as well as those who assisted across the globe, including the National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service of the United Kingdom, for their outstanding contributions to this case,” Shumate said.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which investigated the case alongside Homeland Security Investigations, also pledged to maintain its crackdown on financial fraud.
Acting Inspector in Charge, Bladismir Rojo, said, “We are committed to protecting American consumers from being defrauded by transnational criminal organisations. We will continue to work with the Department of Justice to deliver justice.”
Similarly, Acting Special Agent in Charge Ray Rede of HSI Arizona added, “Defrauding the elderly and other vulnerable populations is a betrayal of not just trust but of humanity. Justice will prevail, and those who exploit others for personal gain will be held accountable.”
Akhimie is the eighth defendant sentenced in the sprawling case. In April, another Nigerian, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, who was extradited from Portugal, was handed the same 97-month sentence by District Court Judge Roy Altman.
At the time, Judge Altman described the offence as “an incredibly serious crime” that demanded strong punishment to protect “the most vulnerable, the least protected members of our society.
Other defendants had previously received jail terms in related proceedings before U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams.
The Department of Justice said the probe benefited from assistance provided by Europol, and authorities in the UK, Spain and Portugal, alongside its Office of International Affairs.