The full list of Nigerians indicted by the US Government as obtained from United States District Court for the Central District of California... They were indicted of money laundering, Wire Fraud, Bank Fraud, Destruction of property to avoid seizure and all other forms of Unlawful activities... Below are their names and the full United States Court indictment with detailed analysis of their criminal acts:
1. VALENTINE IRO
2. CHUKWUDI CHRISTOGUNUS IGBOKWE
3. JERRY ELO IKOGHO
4. IZUCHUKWU KINGSLEY UMEJESI
5. ADEGOKE MOSES OGUNGBE
6. ALBERT LEWIS CATHEY
7. TITYAYE MARINA MANSBANGURA
8. CHUKWUDI COLLINS AJAEZE
9. EKENE AUGUSTINE EKECHUKWU
10. CHUKS EROHA
11. COLLINS NNAEMEKA OJIMBA
12. FNU LNU
13. UCHENNA OCHIAGHA
14. NNAMDI THEOJOSEPH DURU
15. ERICSON UCHE OFORKA
16. MARK IFEANYI CHUKWUOCHA
17. AUGUSTINE NNAMDI
18. CHIEMEZIE CHRISTOPHER CHILAKA
19. CHARLES OHAJIMKPO
20. STANLEY UGOCHUKWU UCHE
21. CHIKA AUGUSTINE ODIONYENMA
22. PASCHAL CHIMA OGBONNA
23. SAMUEL NNAMDI ONWUASOANYA,
24. MACWILLIAM CHINONSO CHUKWUOCHA
25. EMMANUEL ONYEKA UZOKA
26. JOSHUA ANIEFIOK AWAK
27. GEORGE UGOCHUKWU EGWUMBA
28. UCHECHUKWU SOLOMON EZIRIM
29. AUGUSTINE IFEANYI OKAFOR
30. FNU LNU
31. OGOCHUKWU INNOCENT IKEWESI
32. EMMANUEL UZOMA OGANDU
33. AMARACHUKWU HARLEY ANYANWU
34. BRIGHT IFEANYI AZUBUIKE
35. EMEKA MOSES NWACHUKWU
36. CHINWENDU KENNETH OSUJI
37. EUSEBIUS UGOCHUKWU ONYEKA
38. CHIDI ANUNOBI
39. ANTHONY NWABUNWANNE OKOLO
40. OBINNA CHRISTIAN ONUWA
41. CHIJIOKE CHUKWUMA ISAMADE
42. LINUS NNAMDI MADUFOR
43. CHRYSAUGONUS NNEBEDUM
44. UGOCHUKWU OKEREKE
45. FIDEL LEON ODIMARA
46. KINGSLEY CHINEDU ONUDOROGU
47. DESSI NZENWAH
48. CHIMAROKE OBASI
49. JAMES CHIGOZIE AGUBE
50. CHIMAOBI UZOZIE OKORIE
51. OGOCHUKWU OHIRI
52. KENNEDY CHIBUEZE UGWU
53. IFEANYICHUKWU OLUWADAMILARE AGWUEGBO
54. VICTOR IFEANYI CHUKWU
55. CHIDI EMMANUEL MEGWA
56. PRINCEWILL ARINZE DURU
57. DESMOND IWU
58. ONYEKA VINCENT CHIKA
59. IFEANYI KINGSLEY MEZIENWA
60. VICTOR UCHENNA AGUH
61. KEVIN AMARACHI ESHIMBU
62. VITALIS KELECHI ANOZIE
63. WILLIAMS OBIORA AGUNWA
64. GEORGE CHIMEZIE DIKE
65. MUNACHISO KYRIAN UKACHUKWU
66. NWANNEBUIKE OSMUND
67. CHIDIEBERE FRANKLIN NWANGWU
68. DAMIAN UCHECHUKWU AJAH
69. EMEKA P. EJIOFOR
70. LAWRENCE CHUKWUMA UBASINEKE
71. CHINEDU BRIGHT IBETO
72. VALENTINE AMARACHI NWANEGWO
73. EMMANUEL CHIDIEBERE DIKE
74. JEREMIAH UTIEYIN EKI
75. CHIMA DARLINGTON DURU
76. IKENNA CHRISTIAN IHEJIUREME
77. OBI ONYEDIKA MADEKWE
Escrow fraud, which is similar to BEC, is when a hacker gains unauthorised access into an email account of an escrow company or real estate agent and then communicating with an unsuspecting client who is seeking to buy a property to make down-payment for a property into a fraudulent bank account.
Romance scams
Romance scams target persons looking for romantic partners or friendships on dating sites or social media platforms.
The scammers create fake profiles using fictitious names, locations, images to cultivate a relationship with a prospective victim who is later convinced to send money, and other gifts to the scammer or asked to conduct a transaction on behalf of the scammer.
The unsealed indictment described how the fraud ring defrauded unsuspecting individuals and businesses through a network of complicated individuals, fictitious businesses and banks in the U.S. and Nigeria.
Elaborate scamming strategies
The report revealed that the syndicates make use of Valentine Iro, Chukwudi Igbokwe, and Chuks Eroha, three U.S.-based Nigerian point men.
On the request of other members of the syndicate, the trio “would select a bank account or money service account that had previously been opened in order to receive fraudulently-obtained funds, which could receive the fraudulently-obtained funds.”
Other members of the syndicate will then provide “the account information for a bank account or money service account, which could receive the fraudulently-obtained funds”. Or they could open a bank account or money services account that could receive fraudulently-obtained funds.
The bank accounts are then opened under the name of a fake company registered by Messrs Iro, Igbokwe, Eroha and others through the Los Angeles County Registrar-recorder clerk’s office.
The men will then send other members of the syndicate the information of the false bank accounts that will be used to receive the fraudulently-obtained funds.
The point men usually reach an agreement with other members of the ring on the percentage they and other members of the ring will get for handling and laundering the fraudulently obtained money.
The syndicate usually uses false pretence, representations, and promises, and concealment of facts to persuade a victim to deposit wire, or transfer funds into the bank accounts or money service accounts opened by Messrs Iro, Igbokwe, and Eroha.
When the money is paid into the account, Messrs Iro, Igbokwe and Eroha would usually withdraw the money through cash withdrawals, wire transfers, teller transfers, checks, and deposit some into further accounts used and controlled by them and other co-conspirators before the victims of the crime became aware of the fraudulent nature of the transactions.
When a bank questions the sources of the funds and transactions, the trio and their co-conspirators would lie and provide false information about the ownership and source of the fund.
The funds are then deposited into the bank accounts of fraudulent or unregistered money exchangers, who will then transfer other funds from their Nigerian bank accounts to other Nigerian bank accounts of other members of the syndicate.
Sometimes the trio will direct others to transfer some of the funds from Nigerian bank accounts that they controlled to the Nigeria bank accounts of their co-conspirators.
How funds were received and disbursed
The unsealed indictment also included details of how the syndicate received funds from victims and disbursed them to other members of the victims.
The details showed that a large chunk of the fraudulently-obtained funds was purportedly used to purchase cars.
Around September 3, 2015, Mr Iro sent the account details, including the account number and routing number of a Chase Bank checking account to one of the defendants, Paschal Ogbonna, who was doing business as VOI Enterprises in Carson California with the instruction to have a victim identified as M.S.
At about the same time, an unidentified co-conspirator fraudulently induced M.S to send a wire transfer of $23,000 from her BOA account to Iro’s Chase’s account.
The next day Mr Iro withdrew $14,000 from his Chase account and wrote on the withdrawal slip: “for Lexus RX330 and RX300”. He also sent a cheque of $1,500 from his chase account which he identified as “2002 Nissan Optima”.
Not done with M.S, four days later, another member of the syndicate tricked the victim to send a wire transfer of approximately $46,500 from her BOA account to Mr Iro Chase’s account.
On the same day, Mr Iro withdrew $8,000 from his account which he identified on the withdrawal slip as “Mercedes 2011 and Lexus 350 2008.
Two days later he withdrew $3,000 from his account and wrote “for Acura MDX2007” on the slip. He also withdrew $9,000 on the same day from the account.
On the same day, another unidentified co-conspirator convinced M.S to send $4,700 from her account. Keeping to pattern, Mr Iro withdrew $7,700 from his account vis cheque and wrote “Camry 207 and Camry 05 on the Memo”.
On September 14, M.S also sent $17,000 to the syndicate through Mr Iro’s Chase account. Mr Iro withdrew a total of $35,000 in three transactions on the same day.
Web of bank transfers
In one instance, the syndicate defrauded a company, identified as Victim Company 2, of $186,686 which was sent from the company’s United Bank for Africa account to Mr Iro’s Chase bank 9837 account in February 2016.
On receiving the money, Mr Iro proceeded to transfer the money, in bits, into a network of bank accounts in at least four banks and money service accounts within 10 days.
1. VALENTINE IRO
2. CHUKWUDI CHRISTOGUNUS IGBOKWE
3. JERRY ELO IKOGHO
4. IZUCHUKWU KINGSLEY UMEJESI
5. ADEGOKE MOSES OGUNGBE
6. ALBERT LEWIS CATHEY
7. TITYAYE MARINA MANSBANGURA
8. CHUKWUDI COLLINS AJAEZE
9. EKENE AUGUSTINE EKECHUKWU
10. CHUKS EROHA
11. COLLINS NNAEMEKA OJIMBA
12. FNU LNU
13. UCHENNA OCHIAGHA
14. NNAMDI THEOJOSEPH DURU
15. ERICSON UCHE OFORKA
16. MARK IFEANYI CHUKWUOCHA
17. AUGUSTINE NNAMDI
18. CHIEMEZIE CHRISTOPHER CHILAKA
19. CHARLES OHAJIMKPO
20. STANLEY UGOCHUKWU UCHE
21. CHIKA AUGUSTINE ODIONYENMA
22. PASCHAL CHIMA OGBONNA
23. SAMUEL NNAMDI ONWUASOANYA,
24. MACWILLIAM CHINONSO CHUKWUOCHA
25. EMMANUEL ONYEKA UZOKA
26. JOSHUA ANIEFIOK AWAK
27. GEORGE UGOCHUKWU EGWUMBA
28. UCHECHUKWU SOLOMON EZIRIM
29. AUGUSTINE IFEANYI OKAFOR
30. FNU LNU
31. OGOCHUKWU INNOCENT IKEWESI
32. EMMANUEL UZOMA OGANDU
33. AMARACHUKWU HARLEY ANYANWU
34. BRIGHT IFEANYI AZUBUIKE
35. EMEKA MOSES NWACHUKWU
36. CHINWENDU KENNETH OSUJI
37. EUSEBIUS UGOCHUKWU ONYEKA
38. CHIDI ANUNOBI
39. ANTHONY NWABUNWANNE OKOLO
40. OBINNA CHRISTIAN ONUWA
41. CHIJIOKE CHUKWUMA ISAMADE
42. LINUS NNAMDI MADUFOR
43. CHRYSAUGONUS NNEBEDUM
44. UGOCHUKWU OKEREKE
45. FIDEL LEON ODIMARA
46. KINGSLEY CHINEDU ONUDOROGU
47. DESSI NZENWAH
48. CHIMAROKE OBASI
49. JAMES CHIGOZIE AGUBE
50. CHIMAOBI UZOZIE OKORIE
51. OGOCHUKWU OHIRI
52. KENNEDY CHIBUEZE UGWU
53. IFEANYICHUKWU OLUWADAMILARE AGWUEGBO
54. VICTOR IFEANYI CHUKWU
55. CHIDI EMMANUEL MEGWA
56. PRINCEWILL ARINZE DURU
57. DESMOND IWU
58. ONYEKA VINCENT CHIKA
59. IFEANYI KINGSLEY MEZIENWA
60. VICTOR UCHENNA AGUH
61. KEVIN AMARACHI ESHIMBU
62. VITALIS KELECHI ANOZIE
63. WILLIAMS OBIORA AGUNWA
64. GEORGE CHIMEZIE DIKE
65. MUNACHISO KYRIAN UKACHUKWU
66. NWANNEBUIKE OSMUND
67. CHIDIEBERE FRANKLIN NWANGWU
68. DAMIAN UCHECHUKWU AJAH
69. EMEKA P. EJIOFOR
70. LAWRENCE CHUKWUMA UBASINEKE
71. CHINEDU BRIGHT IBETO
72. VALENTINE AMARACHI NWANEGWO
73. EMMANUEL CHIDIEBERE DIKE
74. JEREMIAH UTIEYIN EKI
75. CHIMA DARLINGTON DURU
76. IKENNA CHRISTIAN IHEJIUREME
77. OBI ONYEDIKA MADEKWE
Escrow fraud, which is similar to BEC, is when a hacker gains unauthorised access into an email account of an escrow company or real estate agent and then communicating with an unsuspecting client who is seeking to buy a property to make down-payment for a property into a fraudulent bank account.
Romance scams
Romance scams target persons looking for romantic partners or friendships on dating sites or social media platforms.
The scammers create fake profiles using fictitious names, locations, images to cultivate a relationship with a prospective victim who is later convinced to send money, and other gifts to the scammer or asked to conduct a transaction on behalf of the scammer.
The unsealed indictment described how the fraud ring defrauded unsuspecting individuals and businesses through a network of complicated individuals, fictitious businesses and banks in the U.S. and Nigeria.
Elaborate scamming strategies
The report revealed that the syndicates make use of Valentine Iro, Chukwudi Igbokwe, and Chuks Eroha, three U.S.-based Nigerian point men.
On the request of other members of the syndicate, the trio “would select a bank account or money service account that had previously been opened in order to receive fraudulently-obtained funds, which could receive the fraudulently-obtained funds.”
Other members of the syndicate will then provide “the account information for a bank account or money service account, which could receive the fraudulently-obtained funds”. Or they could open a bank account or money services account that could receive fraudulently-obtained funds.
The bank accounts are then opened under the name of a fake company registered by Messrs Iro, Igbokwe, Eroha and others through the Los Angeles County Registrar-recorder clerk’s office.
The men will then send other members of the syndicate the information of the false bank accounts that will be used to receive the fraudulently-obtained funds.
The point men usually reach an agreement with other members of the ring on the percentage they and other members of the ring will get for handling and laundering the fraudulently obtained money.
The syndicate usually uses false pretence, representations, and promises, and concealment of facts to persuade a victim to deposit wire, or transfer funds into the bank accounts or money service accounts opened by Messrs Iro, Igbokwe, and Eroha.
When the money is paid into the account, Messrs Iro, Igbokwe and Eroha would usually withdraw the money through cash withdrawals, wire transfers, teller transfers, checks, and deposit some into further accounts used and controlled by them and other co-conspirators before the victims of the crime became aware of the fraudulent nature of the transactions.
When a bank questions the sources of the funds and transactions, the trio and their co-conspirators would lie and provide false information about the ownership and source of the fund.
The funds are then deposited into the bank accounts of fraudulent or unregistered money exchangers, who will then transfer other funds from their Nigerian bank accounts to other Nigerian bank accounts of other members of the syndicate.
Sometimes the trio will direct others to transfer some of the funds from Nigerian bank accounts that they controlled to the Nigeria bank accounts of their co-conspirators.
How funds were received and disbursed
The unsealed indictment also included details of how the syndicate received funds from victims and disbursed them to other members of the victims.
The details showed that a large chunk of the fraudulently-obtained funds was purportedly used to purchase cars.
Around September 3, 2015, Mr Iro sent the account details, including the account number and routing number of a Chase Bank checking account to one of the defendants, Paschal Ogbonna, who was doing business as VOI Enterprises in Carson California with the instruction to have a victim identified as M.S.
At about the same time, an unidentified co-conspirator fraudulently induced M.S to send a wire transfer of $23,000 from her BOA account to Iro’s Chase’s account.
The next day Mr Iro withdrew $14,000 from his Chase account and wrote on the withdrawal slip: “for Lexus RX330 and RX300”. He also sent a cheque of $1,500 from his chase account which he identified as “2002 Nissan Optima”.
Not done with M.S, four days later, another member of the syndicate tricked the victim to send a wire transfer of approximately $46,500 from her BOA account to Mr Iro Chase’s account.
On the same day, Mr Iro withdrew $8,000 from his account which he identified on the withdrawal slip as “Mercedes 2011 and Lexus 350 2008.
Two days later he withdrew $3,000 from his account and wrote “for Acura MDX2007” on the slip. He also withdrew $9,000 on the same day from the account.
On the same day, another unidentified co-conspirator convinced M.S to send $4,700 from her account. Keeping to pattern, Mr Iro withdrew $7,700 from his account vis cheque and wrote “Camry 207 and Camry 05 on the Memo”.
On September 14, M.S also sent $17,000 to the syndicate through Mr Iro’s Chase account. Mr Iro withdrew a total of $35,000 in three transactions on the same day.
Web of bank transfers
In one instance, the syndicate defrauded a company, identified as Victim Company 2, of $186,686 which was sent from the company’s United Bank for Africa account to Mr Iro’s Chase bank 9837 account in February 2016.
On receiving the money, Mr Iro proceeded to transfer the money, in bits, into a network of bank accounts in at least four banks and money service accounts within 10 days.
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