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Nosa Onaghise, 33, Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Money Laundering Conspiracy
Austin, Texas – In a federal court in Austin, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman sentenced Nosa Onaghise, a 33-year-old Nigerian national, to 51 months in federal prison for his participation in a conspiracy that laundered more than $1.7 million in Business Email Compromise (BEC) scam proceeds.
According to the indictment, Onaghise and his co-conspirators targeted businesses and individuals making wire transfer payments, tricking employees into making wire transfers to bank accounts controlled by the fraudsters. The scammers used computer intrusion techniques to alter legitimate payment request emails and sent spoofed emails from email addresses similar to those used by trusted partners.
Onaghise pleaded guilty on December 12, 2018, to one count of passport fraud, admitting to attempting to use a false, forged, or counterfeit passport to open several bank accounts in the U.S. in 2018, in furtherance of the fraud scheme.
Onaghise was also ordered to pay $1,639,419.57 in restitution, a $230,000 money judgment, and to forfeit $14,282.50 seized from a bank account. He will be placed on supervised release for a period of three years after completing his prison term.
Onaghise’s co-defendant, Joseph Odibobhahemen, a 28-year-old Nigerian citizen, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison in 2019 for his role in the fraud scheme. Four other co-conspirators have also pleaded guilty and are currently serving lengthy federal prison terms.
According to U.S. Attorney Gregg N. Sofer, scammers and fraudsters beware, ‘We will bring the full weight of federal law enforcement down on those who prey on the legitimate business community here in Austin and elsewhere in this district.’
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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