Ezennia Peter Neboh, International Fraud, Florida 2023

Federal authorities announced yesterday the extradition of Ezennia Peter Neboh, 48, of Madrid, Spain, who made his initial appearance in Miami today to face federal charges in connection with an international fraud scheme that preyed on elderly Americans.

Neboh and his co-defendants, Kennedy Ikponmwosa, 51, and Prince Amos Okey Ezemma, 49, also of Madrid, as well as Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham, 44, Emmanuel Samuel, 39, and Jerry Chucks Ozor, 43, of London, were previously charged in the Southern District of Florida with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, as well as counts of mail fraud and wire fraud.

According to court documents, the defendants allegedly operated an inheritance fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable elderly consumers in the United States over a period of more than five years.

The scheme involved sending personalized letters to the victims, falsely claiming that they were entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left behind by a family member who had died years before in Spain. The defendants then told the victims a series of lies, including that they needed to send money for delivery fees, taxes, and payments to avoid questioning from government authorities.

The defendants collected money sent in response to the fraudulent letters through a complex web of U.S.-based former victims, whom they convinced to receive money and forward to the defendants or persons associated with them. According to the indictment, victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds.

Samuel pleaded guilty on March 27 to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced by the Honorable Kathleen M. Williams on June 13, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment. The Consumer Protection Branch, USPIS, and HSI are investigating the case.

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