A Nigerian national based in Texas has been indicted by a US federal grand jury for orchestrating romance and business email compromise schemes that defrauded the US Fish and Wildlife Service of over $300,000.
Nigerian Indicted in US Over $300k Fraud Scheme
A Nigerian national, Okeoghene Patrick Udugba, 45, of Frisco, Texas, has been indicted by a US federal grand jury for money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, Peoples Gazette reports.
US Attorney Brian Miller said Udugba and others ran overlapping romance and business email compromise schemes, using social media and dating sites to build fake romantic relationships with victims across multiple states. These victims were groomed and used as money mules to cash fraudulently obtained checks. The scheme involved spoofed emails from Nigeria posing as US Fish and Wildlife Service representatives, directing grant funds toward fabricated invoices. As a result, FWS’s grant administrator issued payments exceeding $300,000.
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