A Nigerian national has been sentenced to 102 months in prison for his role in an airline ticket scam that swindled over $400,000 from U.S. citizens.
Ademola Ismaila Adegoke, 43, of Accra, Ghana, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft on July 30, 2010. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Liam O’Grady to serve two years of supervised release following his prison term.
Adegoke has agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $696,026. The scheme involved using stolen credit card numbers to purchase airline tickets from travel agencies in the United States and Canada, as well as directly from airlines.
According to court documents, Adegoke used local Internet cafes in Accra to access e-mail accounts and Voice over IP (VOIP) services, which made it appear that he was calling from the United States even though he was physically in Ghana.
He used e-mail and VOIP to purchase stolen credit card information online and then used those numbers to purchase airline tickets. Adegoke sent e-mail or faxed copies of fraudulent passports and drivers licenses as well as images of credit cards with the stolen credit card number transposed over a blank card to the travel agency or airline.
U.S. law enforcement, including the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, investigated the case. Michael Stawasz, Senior Counsel in the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Eisinger prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
On May 5, 2010, the Ghanaian Police, in cooperation with U.S. law enforcement, arrested Adegoke in Accra. Adegoke was extradited from Ghana to the United States, where he arrived on June 28, 2010.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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