A Nigerian man, James Junior Aliyu, who was extradited from South Africa to the United States, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a multimillion-dollar business email compromise scheme.
The plea was disclosed in a statement issued by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes alongside Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore.
Aliyu is the last of three defendants indicted in the scheme, while eight others had previously entered guilty pleas in related cases filed in Maryland.
“On June 24, 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment, charging Aliyu, Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland.”
Court filings revealed that Aliyu and his partners hacked into victims’ emails and used spoofed messages to send fraudulent wiring instructions.
“Between February and July 2017, they laundered the proceeds through multiple accounts to conceal ownership.”
Prosecutors said Aliyu’s role in the conspiracy involved an intended loss of more than $4.1 million, with actual losses amounting to at least $1.57 million.
He personally controlled about $1.19 million, which he has agreed to forfeit, in addition to paying at least $2.3 million in restitution.
