Obinna Obioha, Hacking and Fraud Scheme, New York 2016

UTICA, NEW YORK – A brazen cybercrime scheme has come to an end with the guilty plea of Obinna Obioha, a 31-year-old Nigerian national. Obioha admitted to participating in a hacking and fraud scheme that targeted dozens of American companies, stealing millions of dollars in the process.

According to prosecutors, Obioha worked with others in Nigeria to hack into computers and email accounts used by victims in the United States and around the world. The victims were then sent fake invoices from bogus email accounts that appeared similar to their legitimate email addresses. The scammers instructed the victims to wire funds to bank accounts controlled by Obioha and his associates, under the pretense that the wires were payments for actual deals that had been previously negotiated by the victims.

Between January and September 2016, Obioha was involved in at least 50 wire transfers, with a total of about $6.5 million sent to the bank accounts he and his associates controlled. The money came from victims in various states, including New York, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas.

Obioha was arrested on October 6, 2016, after flying from Lagos, Nigeria, to JFK International Airport. He has been in custody since then.

“Foreign criminal enterprises prey upon American businesses and are using increasingly sophisticated means to do so, as demonstrated by this scheme,” said United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian. “Obioha’s apprehension and conviction is a reminder that foreign nationals targeting American businesses cannot operate with impunity and that the reach of U.S. law enforcement agencies is global.”

Obioha faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine, as well as the possibility of being ordered to pay restitution, when he is sentenced on July 26, 2017 by United States District Judge David N. Hurd.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Wayne A. Myers.

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