Nigerian, OKEZIE BONAVENTURE OGBATA jailed 97 months for stealing $6million cash from 400 elderly Americans
*36-year-old suspect falsely claim he represents a bank in Spain, lured victims into bogus inherited estate
*”It’s inconceivable to imagine any human being robbing from those who’ve spent a lifetime working and building a life, and then are duped out of it all”- Special Agent in Charge Francisco Burrola of Homeland Security Investigations
*”We will not allow transnational criminals to steal money from the public we serve. Individuals who defraud American consumers will be brought to justice, no matter where they are located. The long arm of the American justice system has no limits when it comes to reaching fraudsters who prey on our nation’s must vulnerable populations “- U.S. Attorney Hayden Byrne for the Southern District of Florida
*BY JOSEPH ODITE/SPECIAL ANTI-GRAFT CORRESPONDENT/TEXAS, NAIJA STANDARD NEWSPAPER INC USA
HE HAS BROUGHT SHAME AND DISGRACE TO HIMSELF, FAMILY AND COUNTRY. HIS name is Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, a 36 year old Nigerian man who led a group of co-conspirators to steal SIX MILLION DOLLARS ($6million) from 400 elderly Americans. The suspect was found guilty and sentenced to more than eight years in prison.
Court documents showed that Okezie sent letters to elderly United States (U.S) citizens, falsely claiming that he was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the victims had inherited a multimillion-dollar estate from a long-lost family member.
He was convicted for an international fraud scheme that bilked hundreds of elderly U.S. victims out of millions of dollars, the Justice Department announced Monday.
In order to receive their money, the victims were told to send funds for delivery fees, taxes and other payments. Ogbata admitted to defrauding more than $6 million from more than 400 U.S. victims. He pleaded guilty for his role in the transnational inheritance fraud scheme and was sentenced Friday to 97 months in prison.
“The long arm of the American justice system has no limits when it comes to reaching fraudsters who prey on our nation’s must vulnerable populations, to include the elderly,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden Byrne for the Southern District of Florida.
“We will not allow transnational criminals to steal money from the public we serve. Individuals who defraud American consumers will be brought to justice, no matter where they are located,” Byrne added.
In announcing Ogbata’s sentencing, the Justice Department reminded seniors over the age of 60 to report financial fraud to the department’s National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11.
“It’s inconceivable to imagine any human being robbing from those who’ve spent a lifetime working and building a life, and then are duped out of it all,” Special Agent in Charge Francisco Burrola of Homeland Security Investigations Arizona said in a statement.
“Together, with our law enforcement partners, we will not tolerate this kind of behavior. We will bring justice to those who have wronged and stolen from so many people.”
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