The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has placed three Nigerians on its Most-Wanted list for their alleged involvement in a large-scale fraud operation.
The FBI published a notice on Wednesday, revealing that the trio were part of a syndicate that defrauded more than 70 businesses in the US. The individuals named are Nnamdi Benson, Richard Uzuh, and Felix Okpoh.
According to the notice, Benson is accused of playing a key role in a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme, which resulted in losses exceeding $6 million. He allegedly provided bank accounts to Uzuh for receiving fraudulent wire transfers and was also involved in romance fraud and advanced fee fraud schemes.
“Benson allegedly provided bank accounts to Richard Izuchukwu Uzuh, which were used to receive fraudulent wire transfers. On August 21, 2019, Benson, along with Felix Osilama Okpoh and Abiola Ayorinde Kayode, was indicted in the United States District Court in Omaha, Nebraska, on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud. A federal warrant for his arrest was issued on August 22, 2019,” the FBI statement read.
Okpoh is accused of supplying numerous bank accounts to Uzuh, which were used to receive fraudulent wire transfers totaling around $1 million. “Okpoh allegedly provided hundreds of bank accounts to Uzuh and other co-conspirators that received fraudulent wire transfers from victim businesses. On August 21, 2019, Okpoh was indicted in Omaha, Nebraska, on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, with a federal warrant issued for his arrest the following day.”
Uzuh, the third individual, allegedly sent spoofed emails to businesses across the US, requesting fraudulent wire transfers. He is also accused of laundering the proceeds of the fraud through a network of people both in the US and abroad.
“Uzuh allegedly worked with money launderers, romance scammers, and others involved in BEC schemes to launder the proceeds of their crimes. He was indicted in the United States District Court in Omaha, Nebraska, on October 18, 2016, on charges of Wire Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, with a federal warrant for his arrest issued the next day,” the notice continued.
Earlier this month, a member of the syndicate, Abiola Kayode, was extradited from Ghana to Nebraska after being on the FBI’s Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List.
 has placed three Nigerians on its Most-Wanted list for their alleged involvement in a large-scale fraud operation.){kind=link}