Joshua Ikejimba Sentenced in $8M Email Fraud Scheme

Joshua Ikejimba, a 25-year-old from Houston, Texas, is headed to federal prison for his role in an $8 million international business email compromise (BEC) scheme that targeted companies, individuals, and even a New York-based intergovernmental organization. Posing under multiple aliases — including Johnson Ifeanyi Gbono, Alfred Henshaw, Peterson Kamara Lawson, and Ganiru Paul Thompson — Ikejimba helped orchestrate a sophisticated cyber fraud operation that spanned years and crossed borders.

Ikejimba pled guilty today in Manhattan federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman sentenced him to 24 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In addition, he was ordered to forfeit $1,250,766.03 and pay restitution totaling $1,238,748.93 to victims whose funds were siphoned through fake bank accounts and laundered shell companies.

From 2016 through July 2018, the BEC syndicate used fraudulent emails and spoofed wiring instructions to trick victims into sending payments to accounts controlled by the conspiracy. The scheme relied on forged passports, fake identities, and a network of shell corporations registered across the U.S. Once funds were diverted, members of the ring quickly moved to withdraw and launder the stolen money — much of it through cashier’s checks and offshore transfers.

Ikejimba wasn’t just a participant — he was a key operator. He used false identification to open bank accounts, received fraudulently obtained funds, and formed a shell corporation to clean hundreds of thousands in stolen proceeds. Investigators determined he personally handled approximately $1.25 million in fraud money, helping disguise illicit gains as legitimate transactions.

The Department of Justice, led by Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss for the Southern District of New York, called the operation a brazen act of digital deception. “As he admitted in court today, Joshua Ikejimba played a key role in an international business email compromise conspiracy. For his admitted crime, Ikejimba will serve a two-year prison sentence and be compelled to make restitution to the victims of his fraud,” Strauss stated.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation, with prosecution handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olga I. Zverovich and Jarrod L. Schaeffer are leading the case. Authorities say the sentencing sends a clear message: cybercriminals who exploit digital systems for mass fraud will be hunted down and held accountable.