Two Nigerians jailed 189 months over $2.4m US cyber fraud

Two Nigerians living in the United States, Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu and Harafat Mogaji, have been sentenced to a combined 189 months in federal prison for their involvement in an international cyber fraud scheme that caused businesses to lose more than $2.4 million.

Odimegwu, a former resident of Delaware, was sentenced to 111 months in prison, while Mogaji received a 78-month prison term. Both men were members of the United States Air Force at the time of the offences.

They were sentenced on September 25, 2026, following their convictions.

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, David Waterman, announced the sentences in a statement issued by the district’s Public Information Officer, MacKenzie Tubbs.

According to the statement, Odimegwu and Mogaji worked with other conspirators in the United States and abroad to target businesses across the country for nearly two years.

The conspirators also allegedly created fake email addresses that closely resembled those of victims and their business partners. The aim was to deceive businesses into sending legitimate payments to bank accounts controlled by the fraud group.

Tubbs said Odimegwu and Mogaji were involved in diverting more than $1.68 million transferred by a victim in Iowa City, Iowa, into a Chicago bank account allegedly controlled by the conspiracy.

The two men were also linked to the diversion of more than $720,000 sent by a victim in Ohio to another account controlled by the group.

“These are in addition to many other attempts Odimegwu and Mogaji made to divert wire transfers made by businesses in Iowa and across the country,” Tubbs said.

Investigators also found that the defendants allegedly obtained sensitive financial information from victims during the phishing and spamming operations.

The information reportedly included bank account numbers, personal identification numbers, and credit and debit card details. Among the stolen data were credit card details belonging to a non-profit organisation in Pella, Iowa.

The US Attorney’s Office said the defendants also bought stolen financial information from co-conspirators, exchanged the information among themselves and attempted to use it for unauthorised financial transactions and purchases.

In addition to his 111-month prison sentence, Odimegwu was ordered to pay $366,617.59 in restitution.

Mogaji was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $995,680.45 in restitution.

Both defendants were taken into custody after they were sentenced.

Following their release from prison, Odimegwu and Mogaji will each serve three years under supervised release, according to the US Attorney’s Office.

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