By Kolawole Ojebisi
Three Nigerians have earned notoriety for being placed on the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Most-Wanted list for their alleged involvement in a $6m Business Email Compromise scheme.
These Nigerian nationals, as named by FBI, are Nnamdi Benson, Richard Uzuh, and Felix Okpoh.
As seen on Wednesday from notices published on the FBI website the trio were part of a syndicate that allegedly defrauded over 70 businesses in the US.
Nnamdi Benson
Highlighting the role played by each alleged criminal in the grand fraudulent activity, the notice stressed that Benson allegedly provided bank accounts to receive proceeds from the fraudulent transactions.
It noted that Benson was also suspected to be involved in romance and advance fee fraud scam and was indicted by a US court in August 2019.
The notice read, “Nnamdi Orson Benson is wanted for his alleged involvement in a Business Email Compromise scheme that defrauded over 70 different businesses in the United States resulting in combined losses of over $6,000,000.
“Benson allegedly provided bank accounts to Richard Izuchukwu Uzuh that were used to receive fraudulent wire transfers. Benson also allegedly conducted romance fraud and advanced fee fraud schemes himself.
“On August 21, 2019, Benson, along with Felix Osilama Okpoh, and Abiola Ayorinde Kayode, was indicted in the United States District Court, District of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. On August 22, 2019, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest.”
Félix Okpoh
Another notice stating the details of Okpoh’s alleged offence noted that he also provided numerous bank accounts to Uzuh to receive proceeds of the scam totalling about $1m.
It read, “Okpoh allegedly provided hundreds of bank accounts to Richard Izuchukwu Uzuh and other co-conspirators, Abiola Ayorinde Kayode and Nnamdi Orson Benson, that were used to receive fraudulent wire transfers.
“Bank accounts that Okpoh allegedly provided to Uzuh received fraudulent wire transfers from victim businesses totalling over $1,000,000. On August 21, 2019, Okpoh was indicted in the United States District Court, District of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. On August 22, 2019, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest.”
Richard Uzuh
Uzuh, on his part, was alleged to have been responsible for sending emails to several businesses in the US alongside other members of the syndicate to request fraudulent wire transfers.
The notice further indicated that a US court indicted Uzuh and issued an arrest warrant on him in October 2016.
“Uzuh and his co-conspirators, Felix Osilama Okpoh, Abiola Ayorinde Kayode, and Nnamdi Orson Benson, allegedly sent spoofed emails to thousands of businesses in the United States requesting fraudulent wire transfers.
“Uzuh allegedly worked with money launderers, romance scammers, and others involved in BEC schemes to launder the proceeds of their crimes through a complex network of witting and unwitting people in the United States and abroad.
“On October 18, 2016, Uzuh was indicted in the United States District Court, District of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, on charges of Wire Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. On October 19, 2016, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest,” another notice read.
Recall that a member of the syndicate, Abiola Kayode, who had been on the FBI’s Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List, was extradited from Ghana to Nebraska, United States this month.
The extradition followed a conspiracy to commit wire fraud indictment filed against him in August 2019.
A statement from the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Nebraska on December 13 noted that Kayode was arrested in April 2023 by the Ghanaian authorities.
After a formal U.S. request for extradition, he was handed over to FBI special agents who brought him to Nebraska.
