THREE NIGERIANS SENTENCED IN U. S. FOR $2M FRAUD SCHEME TARGETING ELDERLY. (PHOTO).

 Three Nigerians Sentenced in U.S. for $2M Fraud Scheme Targeting Elderly

Three Nigerians have been sentenced in the U.S. for their involvement in a fraudulent scheme that targeted elderly victims. Fatai Okunola, 38, from Kalamazoo, received over 10 years in prison and was ordered to pay more than $730,000 in restitution. His sentence includes five years for making false statements during naturalization and 10 years for money laundering, with the terms running concurrently.

Two Dallas residents, Oluwaseyi Adeola, 34, and Ijeoma Adeola, 36, were also sentenced. Oluwaseyi received nearly three years in prison and was ordered to pay approximately $410,000 in restitution, while Ijeoma was given three years' probation for concealing a felony and must pay just under $49,000 in restitution.

The defendants worked with accomplices in Nigeria to target U.S. residents, primarily elderly individuals, by creating fake identities and establishing relationships through social media, phone, and text messages. Victims were tricked into sending money to the defendants, who set up numerous bank accounts, P.O. boxes, and shell companies under false names. The money was then transferred to Nigeria.

The fraud scheme, which ran from 2017 to 2022, netted over $2 million. Okunola also used some of the stolen funds to help individuals purchase cars in the U.S. and ship them to Nigeria.

U.S. Attorney Mark Totten stated that financial fraud is a serious crime that deeply impacts victims, some of whom lost their retirement savings and took loans to cover their losses. He highlighted that modern technology was exploited to deceive vulnerable individuals.