⏱ 2 min read
Edikan Adiakpan, a 34-year-old Nigerian national, pleaded guilty to his role in a Houston-based email scam that netted over $927,000 from more than 10 victims. From 2020 to 2022, Adiakpan owned an unlicensed money transmitting business, Akama Lifestyle, which he used to transfer funds from the scam and kept a percentage as a fee. The scam involved fraudsters sending spoofed emails to victims, tricking them into sending payments to fake bank accounts.
The funds Adiakpan received originated from a business email compromise scheme, where victims were tricked into sending payments to fake suppliers and creditors. One victim alone wired $927,080 to the fraudsters, who then sent portions of the proceeds to Adiakpan. He redeemed a cashier’s check payable to himself, containing $60,000 of the victim’s money.
Adiakpan has been in custody and will remain so pending sentencing, set for September 15. He faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Another Nigerian citizen, Ayobami Omoniyi, 26, was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison for his role in the scheme.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Houston office and its Bryan Resident Agency, along with the IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek is prosecuting the case, which was accepted by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen.
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📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: Texas
- Location: TX
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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