Omoyoma Christopher Okoro, International Fraud Scheme, Pennsylvania 2024

HARRISBURG – A North Carolina man was sentenced to 100 months in prison for his role in an international fraud scheme that targeted attorneys in the United States.

Omoyoma Christopher Okoro, 50, was sentenced on September 19, 2024, by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson to 100 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $22,565,929.18 in restitution.

Okoro, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Nigerian origin, was found guilty of all charges against him following a five-day jury trial in September 2023. He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution, mail fraud affecting a financial institution, and bank fraud.

In addition, Okoro was charged with two counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution, one count of mail fraud affecting a financial institution, and one count of bank fraud.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Okoro conspired with others to defraud attorneys located in the United States through what became known as the ‘attorney collection scheme.’

Through this scheme, attorneys in the United States were contacted by a prospective ‘client’ in a foreign country who purported to be in need of legal representation. The client would typically claim to be owed money from someone in the United States resulting from a business transaction, settlement from a dispute, or an accident.

Once the funds were wired to a foreign bank account, they were immediately withdrawn by a member of the conspiracy, generally before the attorney victim realized that he or she had been defrauded.

The evidence at trial showed Okoro communicating with numerous other members of the conspiracy, including individuals responsible for furnishing the financial accounts in East Asia used to receive victim funds.

In total, it is believed that over $23 million in fraudulent proceeds were actually obtained through the attorney collection scheme, and over $80 million in attempted fraud occurred.

Okoro represents the latest defendant to be prosecuted in this district for his role in the attorney collection scheme. Prior defendants include Emmanuel Ekhator and Yvette Mathurin, previously residents of Canada and Nigeria, and Kingsley Osagie of Nigeria.

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