Nigerian Scammers Hit With Over 22 Years’,’seo_title

Two Nigerian nationals, Opeyemi Abidemi Adeoso and Benjamin Adeleke Ifebajo, have been handed a combined sentence of over 22 years in federal prison for their roles in a massive email fraud scheme. The pair, both aged 46 and 47 respectively, were part of Operation reWired, a joint effort by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI Dallas.

Adeoso pleaded guilty to 17 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of money laundering, six counts of use of a false passport, and more, receiving 151 months in prison and $9.3 million in restitution. His co-conspirator, Ifebajo, faced similar charges and was sentenced to 120 months and $2.1 million in restitution.

“These defendants utilized multiple tactics to deceive unsuspecting businesses out of their money,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “We will continue to hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes.”

The investigation began in August 2018 after a business reported transferring over $504,000 into an account linked to Adeoso. They used fraudulent passports to open accounts and sent phishing emails, often spoofing the identities of victims’ known contacts.

Additionally, Temitope Aminat Folorunsho, 35, received 37 months in prison for her involvement. The trio’s scheme involved using aliases to commit their fraud, including names like Peter Kuffor and George Macharty.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Dallas Field Office, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Eggers prosecuted the case.

RELATED: Guam Victims Swindled in $2.6M Inheritance Scam

RELATED: Nigerian Cyber Scammers Plead Guilty to $1M+ Fraud