‘Seventh Nigerian National Sentenced For Defrauding 400 Elderly U.S. Victims

Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, a 36-year-old Nigerian citizen, has been ordered to serve 97 months in prison in the United States for his involvement in an international inheritance scam.

The U.S. Department of Justice disclosed this in a press release issued on Monday, April 28, 2025.

Per the release, Ogbata’s sentencing occurred on Friday, April 25, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

With this sentencing, a total of seven Nigerian nationals implicated in the scam have now been sentenced.

Court records indicate that Ogbata was part of a group of scammers who, over several years, mailed personalized letters to elderly individuals across the United States.

These letters falsely represented the sender as a Spanish bank official, claiming the recipient was eligible to claim a multimillion-dollar inheritance left by a deceased family member from abroad years earlier.

Ogbata and his accomplices fed victims a series of falsehoods, including the requirement to pay fees for delivery, taxes, and other costs to avoid scrutiny from government officials.

Through a sophisticated network of former U.S.-based victims, whom the defendants persuaded to receive and forward funds to them or their associates, Ogbata and his group collected payments sent by victims in response to the deceptive letters.

Victims who sent money never received the promised inheritance funds. In his guilty plea, Ogbata confessed to defrauding over 400 victims, many elderly or vulnerable, of more than $6 million.

“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch will continue to pursue, prosecute, and bring to justice transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers, wherever they are located,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov M. Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

“This case is a testament to the critical role of international collaboration in tackling transnational crime. I want to thank our U.S. law enforcement partners, as well as those who assisted across the globe, including the Portuguese Judicial Police and Public Prosecution Service of Portugal, for their outstanding contributions to this case.”

“The long arm of the American justice system has no limits when it comes to reaching fraudsters who prey on our nation’s most vulnerable populations, to include the elderly,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden P. 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.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) has a long history of protecting American citizens from these types of schemes and bringing those responsible to justice,” said Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Steven Hodges of the USPIS Miami Division.

“Today’s sentencing is a testament to the dedicated partnership between the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch, HSI, and USPIS to protect our citizens from these scams.”

“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,” said Special Agent in Charge Fransisco B. Burrola of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Arizona.

“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.”

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney and Transnational Criminal Litigation Coordinator Phil Toomajian, along with Trial Attorneys Josh Rothman and Brianna Gardner of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch. The investigation was conducted by USPIS and HSI.

Significant support was provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Europol, and authorities in the UK, Spain, and Portugal.

Six additional co-conspirators from the United Kingdom, Spain, and Nigeria have previously been convicted and sentenced for their roles in this scheme.

On November 1, 2023, the Honorable Kathleen M. Williams sentenced Ezennia Peter Neboh, extradited from Spain, to 128 months in prison.

On October 20, 2023, Judge Williams sentenced Kennedy Ikponmwosa, also extradited from Spain, to 97 months in prison.

Three other defendants, extradited from the United Kingdom, received prison terms as well.

Judge Williams sentenced Emmanuel Samuel, Jerry Chucks Ozor, and Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham to 82 months, 87 months, and 90 months, respectively, for their involvement in the scam.

Finally, Prince Amos Okey Ezemma, paroled into the United States from Nigeria, was sentenced to 90 months in prison for his part in the scheme.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli