The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has filed a 16-count criminal indictment against Kingsley Inegbedion and Efemena Igbe for internet fraud and money laundering totaling $1.5 million.
According to the FBI, the indictment filed on May 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, alleges that Inegbedion and Igbe engaged in romance scams and business email compromises, posing as legitimate businesses to defraud American citizens from April 2020 to May 2023.
Inegbedion, a network engineer in Atlanta who previously conducted training programs for aspiring tech workers, was known to law enforcement prior to these charges.
The indictment details how they set up sham corporate entities without physical premises or legitimate income, instructing victims to wire money to these seemingly legitimate accounts. The funds were then quickly dispersed to other accounts within and outside the U.S. in an effort to conceal the fraud.
Specific instances cited include withdrawals from accounts at banks such as HSBC, Citi Bank, Synovus Bank, Navy Federal Credit Union, Truist Bank, Associated Credit Union, and Georgia’s Own Credit Union, totaling significant amounts over several transactions.
Efemena Igbe fled to Nigeria after being questioned by security agents, leaving Inegbedion to face the charges alone. The FBI seeks restitution of the fraudulently obtained funds and the forfeiture of any property obtained through the scheme to the U.S. government.
Following the indictment, Inegbedion was arrested and is currently in custody awaiting further legal proceedings.
