Three Nigerians have been sentenced to various jail terms for participating in an international mail and wire fraud scheme originating in Nigeria and frequently targeting elderly individuals.
The United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Mark A. Totten, on Wednesday announced the sentencing of the three individuals in a report published on an official website of the US government. According to the report, the defendants pleaded guilty in July 2024.
Fatai Okunola, 38, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was sentenced to 121 months’ imprisonment for his role in the fraud conspiracy and ordered to pay restitution of $731,879.16. Okunola was additionally sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment for making false statements when seeking naturalization as a U.S. citizen and 120 months’ imprisonment for committing money laundering with the proceeds from the fraud conspiracy. His sentences will run concurrently with the sentence for his participation in the conspiracy, while the court also ordered him to report to immigration authorities for deportation following his sentence.
Oluwaseyi Adeola, 34, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced to 34 months’ imprisonment for his role in the fraud conspiracy and ordered to pay restitution of $409,968.93.
Ijeoma Adeola, 36, also of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced to three years’ probation for misprision of a felony (the failure to report the commission of a felony to appropriate authorities and taking an affirmative step to assist in the concealment of the crime) and ordered to pay restitution of $48,570.
“According to court records, the defendants conspired with individuals primarily in Nigeria to defraud individuals in the United States, many of whom were elderly or particularly vulnerable, through a variety of fraud schemes using interstate wire transmissions or the mail system. Some of the victims lost their retirement savings, took loans against their homes, or suffered other financial distress,” -the report read.