A United States court has sentenced a Nigerian, Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, to more than eight years in prison for his role in a transnational inheritance fraud that stole over $6 million from more than 400 victims, many of them elderly.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, in a recent statement, said Akhimie, 41, was sentenced on September 11 to 97 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges.
According to court filings cited in the office’s statement, Akhimie and his accomplices sent personalised letters to people in the United States, posing as bank officials in Spain.
The letters told recipients they were entitled to multimillion-dollar inheritances from relatives who had supposedly died overseas.
Victims were instructed to pay fees, described as delivery charges, taxes and other costs, before they could receive the money.
The letters warned that these payments were needed to avoid “government scrutiny.”
The funds were then moved through a network of intermediaries, including U.S.-based former victims who were persuaded to act as conduits for the syndicate.
The statement in parts, “Akhimie and his co-conspirators collected money victims sent in response to the fraudulent letters through a complex web of U.S.-based former victims, whom the defendants convinced to receive money and forward it to the defendants or persons associated with them.
“Victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds. In pleading guilty, Akhimie admitted to defrauding over $6 million from more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or otherwise vulnerable,” the statement read.
U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones described the crime as a betrayal of trust.
He said, “Schemes like this steal not only money but dignity from our seniors. Our Office stands with victims, ensures their voices are heard, and will relentlessly pursue those who prey on them.”
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division emphasised international cooperation in the probe.
He said, “The Justice Department will continue to pursue, prosecute, and bring to justice transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers, wherever they are located. This case serves as a testament to the critical role of international collaboration in combating transnational crime.
“I want to thank our U.S. law enforcement partners, as well as those who assisted across the globe, including the National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service of the United Kingdom, for their outstanding contributions to this case,” Shumate said.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led the probe in the United States.
Acting Inspector in Charge, Bladismir Rojo, said, “We are committed to protecting American consumers from being defrauded by transnational criminal organisations. We will continue to work with the Department of Justice to deliver justice.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Ray Rede of HSI Arizona added, “Defrauding the elderly and other vulnerable populations is a betrayal of not just trust but of humanity. Justice will prevail, and those who exploit others for personal gain will be held accountable.”
Akhimie is the eighth defendant to be sentenced in the sprawling case.
In April, another Nigerian, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, who was extradited from Portugal, received the same 97-month sentence from District Court Judge Roy Altman.
At the time, Judge Altman described the offence as “an incredibly serious crime” that demanded strong punishment to protect “the most vulnerable, the least protected members of our society.
Other defendants in the matter previously received jail terms in related proceedings before U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams.
The Department of Justice stated that the investigation benefited from assistance from Europol, as well as authorities in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal, alongside its Office of International Affairs.
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