Nigerian indicted in US over alleged $300,000 romance, email fraud

A 45-year-old Nigerian national, Okeoghene Patrick Udugba, residing in Frisco, Texas, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States for orchestrating a cyber fraud scheme that stole over $300,000 from a US government agency.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced the indictment in a statement on Wednesday.

The indictment charges Udugba with money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud.

According to the statement, “Udugba and others orchestrated overlapping romance and business email compromise schemes.

“As part of the scheme, Udugba and others utilized social media and dating websites to meet and establish purported romantic relationships with persons in multiple states.

“Those persons were groomed and ultimately used by Udugba and others as money mules to receive and cash fraudulently obtained checks.”

The statement alleged that members of the syndicate sent emails from spoofed addresses in Nigeria while posing as representatives of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

“The spoofed emails directed that FWS grant funds be used to pay fabricated invoices, which falsely represented that the money mules were contractors and consultants of FWS who had performed work on grant-eligible projects.”

As a result of the alleged fraudulent emails and invoices, the agency’s grant administrator issued payments exceeding $300,000, according to prosecutors.

The investigation was carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General. Assistant US Attorney Sarah R. Lloyd is leading the prosecution.

The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, established under Executive Order 14159 to combat transnational criminal organisations, fraud networks, human trafficking and other cross-border crimes.

US authorities also said the prosecution supports the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, launched to strengthen efforts against fraud targeting the American public.

If convicted, Udugba faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison, followed by supervised release and a fine.

The US Attorney’s Office emphasised that an indictment is merely an allegation, and Udugba is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖