Scores of Nigerians have been arrested in U.S. by the Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) in a major conspiracy to steal millions of dollars through fraud schemes and launder the money through a Los Angeles-based network.
The arrest comes few days after Forbes celebrated Nigerian young billionaire, Obinwanne Okeke popularly known as Invictus Obi was arrested over $12 million internet scam.
Okeke, named by Forbes in 2016 as one of the world’s 30 Entrepreneurs under the age of 30 to watch, was accused of milking a branch of U.S. owned Caterpillar subsidiary in the UK of $11.5m, among other fraudulent acts committed.
Authorities in the U.S. said on Thursday that 80 people have so far been indicted in the case which is believed to be the largest in U.S. history.
According to a statement on the twitter handle of FBI Los Angeles, the conspiracy included frauds involving business email (BEC scams), romance scams and schemes targeting elderly people.
Victims were targeted in the U.S. and around the world, and some lost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Fourteen defendants were arrested, mostly in the Los Angeles region. FBI agents could be seen processing suspects in a downtown Los Angeles parking lot.
Six other defendants are believed to be fugitives in the U.S. and the others are abroad, mostly in Nigeria. Authorities said they hope to extradite them.
The investigation began in 2016 with one victim and a single bank account, said Paul Delacourt, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles office.
Among the people arrested are Valentine Iro, 31, of Carson, and Chukwudi Christogunus Igbokwe, 38, of Gardena, both Nigerian citizens.
Others are: Jerry Ikogho, 50, of Carson (who was taken into custody on Sunday), and Adegoke Moses Ogungbe, 34, of Fontana, who were indicted as illicit money exchangers for the conspiracy.
In addition, Iro, Igbokwe, Ikogho, Ogungbe and three other defendants –Izuchukwu Kingsley Umejesi, 30, of Los Angeles, Tityaye Marina Mansbangura, 33, of Palmdale, and Obi Madekwe, 31, of Nigeria – are charged with operating illegal money transmitting businesses.
Ogungbe and Mansbangura were also among those arrested this morning, and Umejesi is a fugitive currently being sought by authorities.
The FBI statement also stated that Iro, Igbokwe and Chuks Eroha, 39, face additional charges for attempting to destroy their phones when the FBI executed a search warrant in July 2017.
Iro also is charged with lying to the FBI in an interview conducted during the search.
The complaint alleges that, when the FBI arrived to conduct the court-authorized search at Iro’s apartment in Carson, Iro broke his phone in half, while Igbokwe and Eroha threw phones from a bedroom window of the apartment.
While Iro claimed he previously had broken the phone during an argument with his wife, the complaint details how the FBI was able to determine that the phone was operational until seconds after the FBI knocked on Iro’s apartment door to execute the search warrant.
Eroha is believed to have fled to Nigeria shortly after the FBI executed the warrant
The Nigerians on the list are
1 Valentine Iro
2 Chukwudi Christogunus Igbokwe
3 Jerry Elo Ikogho
4 Izuchukwu Kingsley Umejesi
5 Adegoke Moses Ogungbe
6 Chukwudi Collins Ajaeze (better known as Thank You Jesus)
7 Ekene Augustine Ekechukwu
8 Chuks Eroha
9 Collins Nnaemeka Ojima
10 Uchenna Ochiagha
11 Nnamdi Theojoseph Duru
12 Ericson Uche Oforka
13 Mark Ifeanyi Chukwuocha
14 Augustine Nnamdi
15 Chiemezie Christopher Chilaka
16 Charles Ohajimkpo
17 Stanley Ugochukwu Uche
18 Chika Augustine Odionyenma
19 Paschal Chima Ogbonna
20 Samuel Nnamdi Onwuasoanya
21 Macwilliam Chinonso Chukwuocha
22 Emmanuel Onyeka Uzoka
23 Joshua Aniefiok Awak
24 George Ugochukwu Egwumba
25 Uchechukwu Solomon Ezirim
26 Augustine Ifeanyi Okafor
27 Okay Sam Mal
28 Leslie N. Mba
29 Ogohukwu Innocent Ikewesi
30 Emmanuel Uzoma Ogandu (better known as Son of God
31 Amarachukwu Harley Anywanu
32 Bright Ifeanyi Azubuike
33 Emeka Moses Nwachukwu
34 Donatus Izunwanne
35 Chinwendu Kenneth Osuji
36 Eusebius Ugochukwu Onyeka
37 Chidi Anunobi
38 Anthony Nwabunwanne Okolo
39 Obinna Christian Onuwa
40 Chijioke Chukwuma Isamade
41 Linus Nnamdi Madufor
42 Chrysaugonus Nnebedum
43 Ugochukwu Okereke
44 Fidel Leon Odimara
45 Kingsley Chinedu Onudorogu
46 Dessi Nzenwah
47 Chimaroke Obasi
48 James Chigozie Agube
49 Chimaobi Uzozie Okorie
50 Ogochukwu Ohiri
51 Kennedy Chibueze Ugwu
52 Ifeanyichukwu Oluwadamilare Agwuegbo
53 Victor Ifeanyi Chukwu
54 Chidi Emmanuel Megwa
55 Princewill Arinze Duru
56 Desmond Iwu
57 Onyeka Vincent Chika
58 Ifeanyi Kingsley Mezienwa
59 Victor Uchenna Aguh
60 Kevin Amarachi Eshimnu
61 Vitalis Kelechi Anozie
62 Williams Obiora Agunwa
63 George Chimezie Dike
64 Munachiso Kyrian Ukachukwu
65 Nwannebuike Osmund
66 Chidiebere Franklin Nwangwu
67 Damian Uchechukwu Ajah
68 Emeka P. Ejiofor
69 Lawrence Chukwuma Ubasineke
70 Chinedu Bright Ibeto
71 Valentine Amarachi Nwanegwo
72 Emmanuel Chidiebere Dike
73 Jeremiah Utieyin Eki
74 Chinaka Davidson Iwuoha
75 Chima Darlington Duru
76 Ikenna Christian Ihejiureme
77 Obi Onyedika Madekwe
Additional reports by NAN