Nigerian Man Extradited to US Pleads Guilty to Involvement in Romance Scams and Fraud Schemes Targeting Seniors

A Nigerian man, Isaiah Okere, has pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman to charges related to his involvement in an international conspiracy that defrauded at least 15 victims through romance scams, lottery schemes, and business email compromise schemes.

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Okere entered his plea on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

“Isaiah Okere and his co-conspirators preyed on elderly and vulnerable victims, some of whom lost their entire life savings. Even though he operated his scams from a country halfway around the world, this Office’s global reach ensures that he will be held accountable in the United States for his crimes,” Williams said.

According to Count One of the Information to which Isaiah Okere pleaded guilty, as well as other statements made in court:

From at least 2015 until November 2019, Okere and co-conspirator Timy Hakim collaborated with members of the “Black Axe” transnational criminal organization to carry out fraudulent schemes that caused over a million dollars in losses to at least 15 victims and entities.

Okere facilitated the laundering of proceeds from three types of fraud schemes: a “Romance Scheme,” a “Lottery Scheme,” and a “Business Email Compromise (BEC) Scheme.”

In the Romance Scheme, a vulnerable individual was led to believe they were in a genuine online relationship, which was a tactic used by the perpetrator to gain the victim’s trust and solicit money.

In the Lottery Scheme, victims were informed they had won a cash prize but needed to make payments upfront to access the funds.

In the BEC Fraud Scheme, participants deceived a corporate victim in Manhattan into releasing company funds by impersonating the company’s founder.

Okere communicated directly with his U.S. victims using accounts under false identities and controlled multiple foreign bank accounts in South Africa that received funds from victims targeted by these schemes.

At least 15 individual and corporate victims lost money due to the actions of Okere, Hakim, and their co-conspirators.

These victims included vulnerable, isolated, and elderly individuals who were misled into depleting their retirement savings and taking loans from family and friends after the deaths of their spouses.

Many victims suffered severe emotional distress, including one woman who reported becoming suicidal after losing her retirement savings.

Okere, 42, a citizen of Nigeria, was arrested in South Africa on a provisional arrest warrant in December 2021 and was extradited on August 23, 2024. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Co-defendant Timy Hakim was sentenced to two years in prison on September 27, 2023, and ordered to pay $1,414,043 in restitution and forfeit $671,452.

The maximum potential sentences are set by Congress and are provided for informational purposes only, as any sentencing will be determined by the judge.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams praised the excellent investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and expressed gratitude to the South African Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa, and the South African Police Service.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs played a significant role in facilitating Okere’s extradition from South Africa.

The criminal case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Vladislav Vainberg leading the prosecution.