A US federal court has sentenced three Nigerians for their roles in an international fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims and resulted in losses of over $2 million.
Fatai Okunola, 38, received a 10-year sentence and was ordered to pay $730,000 in restitution.
Okunola’s co-conspirators, Oluwaseyi Adeola, 34, and Ijeoma Adeola, 36, received nearly three years in prison and three years probation, respectively.
However, Cory McDougal, 33, of Romeoville, Illinois, who also pled guilty to the fraud conspiracy, will be sentenced on a later date to be determined by the court.
The defendants conspired with persons in Nigeria to scam US residents, many of whom were elderly or vulnerable.
The scam involved using fake personas to develop relationships with victims over the internet, social media, text, or phone and then soliciting money from them.
Victims were instructed to send funds to the defendants, who opened multiple bank accounts and maintained P.O. boxes under alias names and shell businesses.
US Attorney Mark Totten commented after the verdict, “Financial fraud is not a ‘faceless’ crime — and today’s sentencings help secure a measure of justice for the victims of this international fraud scheme.”
He said some of the victims “lost their retirement savings, took loans against their homes, or suffered other financial distress because of the defendants’ lies.“
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