A 45-year-old Nigerian resident in the United States, Okeoghene Patrick Udugba, has been indicted by a federal grand jury over his alleged involvement in a romance scam and business email compromise scheme that reportedly defrauded a United States government agency of more than $300,000.
According to a statement issued by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Udugba, who resides in Frisco, Texas, is facing charges of money laundering as well as conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud.
The US Attorney, Brian Miller, alleged that Udugba and his co-conspirators operated an elaborate fraud network that used social media platforms and online dating websites to establish fake romantic relationships with victims across several states.
Investigators claimed the victims were manipulated into acting as money mules by receiving and cashing fraudulently obtained cheques on behalf of the syndicate.
According to the statement, members of the group also allegedly used spoofed email addresses traced to Nigeria to impersonate officials of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
The fraudulent emails reportedly instructed that grant funds belonging to the agency be used to settle fictitious invoices, falsely claiming that the money mules were contractors and consultants engaged on grant-funded projects.
Authorities said the fabricated invoices prompted the agency’s grant administrator to authorise payments exceeding $300,000.
If convicted, Udugba could face a maximum prison sentence of 30 years, in addition to a term of supervised release and possible financial penalties.
The Attorney’s Office, however, emphasised that the indictment represents only allegations and does not amount to a conviction.
It noted that, under US law, every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of competent jurisdiction.
The case comes months after another US-based Nigerian, Ifeanyi Ugwu, pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business involving more than $5 million in illicit funds, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.
