• 20 years
• Fraud
• Jail
• Oluwaseun Adekoya
• US Judge

NIGERIAN FRAUD RINGLEADER SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS IN NATIONWIDE SCHEME

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  CapitalTimesNews / 2 months
• 0
• 2 min read

A Nigerian national who led a sprawling bank fraud and money laundering conspiracy has been sentenced to twenty years in federal prison. Oluwaseun Adekoya, 35, operated under a web of aliases including “Ace G.,” “BRODA,” “Legendary,” “SANTA,” and “Sammy LaBanco,” among others. His criminal network, dubbed “Operation Catch Me if You Can” by investigators, impersonated victims across the United States to steal and launder more than $2 million. U.S. District Judge sentenced Adekoya following his conviction for orchestrating the nationwide scheme. Prosecutors detailed how Adekoya and his co-conspirators used sophisticated phishing techniques and social engineering to gain access to personal and financial information. They then impersonated account holders to drain bank accounts, subsequently laundering the stolen funds through a series of complex transactions. “Oluwaseun Adekoya was a serial scammer who built a criminal enterprise on deception and theft, causing significant financial and emotional harm to innocent victims from coast to coast,” said the U.S. Attorney in a statement. “This substantial sentence is a direct result of the dedicated work of our law enforcement partners to unravel this complex conspiracy.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation, tracing the multifaceted operation over several years. Agents said Adekoya’s ring used the stolen identities of hundreds of individuals to perpetrate their frauds. “Today’s sentence removes a prolific fraudster from our communities and serves as a warning to those who believe they can hide behind a keyboard to steal from hardworking Americans,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s field office. “The FBI remains committed to pursuing cyber criminals regardless of their location or the complexity of their schemes.” In addition to the prison term, Judge ordered Adekoya to pay restitution to his victims, the full amount of which will be determined at a later hearing. Several co-conspirators have already been sentenced for their roles in the operation, with others awaiting trial. The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Gang Section.