Nine Nigerians, including the son of veteran Fuji musician, Kwam 1, have
been arrested in the U.S and Nigeria as part of an international
investigation into online “romance scams” and “mystery shopper” schemes
that made victims lose at least $2 million over the past two years.
During
the Chicago-based investigation, dubbed “Operation Gold Phish,” law
enforcement identified a variety of cyber-enabled fraud schemes
allegedly carried out by conspirators in the U.S. and Nigeria.
A
criminal complaint filed Dec. 4, 2018, in U.S. District Court in Chicago
charged nine defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Arrests
were recently carried out in Illinois, Texas, and Nigeria, and all of
the defendants are now in law enforcement custody.
The Nigerian EFCC is conducting a related investigation of other individuals in Nigeria. .
Arrested
on the U.S. charges in Illinois were Daniel Samuel Eta, 35, Babatunde
Ladehinde Labiyi, 20, Barnabas Oghenerukevwe Edjieh, 29, Kwam 1’s son,
Sultan Omogbadebo Anifowoshe, 26, aka Ayinde; Babatunde Ibraheem
Akarigidi, 39, Miracle Ayokunle Okunola, 21, Olurotimi Akitunde Idowu,
55.
Adewale Anthony Adewumi, 27, was arrested in Texas, and
Olaniyi Adeleye Ogungbaiye, 26, aka DonChiChi, was arrested in Lagos,
Nigeria.
Once the group got the money, they funneled the proceeds
into their personal bank accounts or overseas, often Nigeria, the
affidavit said. .
.
At least three times, the money was used to
pay for vehicles on behalf of a Nigerian car company owned by one of the
defendants. The charge in the complaint carries a maximum sentence of
20 years in prison.
Leave a Reply