US-Based Nigerians Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for $3.5M Romance Scam

Two Nigerians, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, have been sentenced by a U.S. federal jury to a combined 30 years in prison for defrauding U.S. citizens of $3.5 million.

This information was provided in a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to the statement, Ibekie and Aniukwu conned their victims by falsely claiming they had received large inheritances that required a payment to access.

They would then request money from their victims with the promise of reimbursing them once the inheritance was claimed.

In addition to this, the duo engaged in romance scams, establishing relationships with victims and gaining their trust before demanding money.

It read, “An undercover law enforcement investigation has resulted in federal prison sentences for two Nigerian nationals residing in the Chicago suburbs who conducted online inheritance scams and other fraud schemes.

“Using aliases, Anthony Emeka Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu communicated with victims throughout the United States, convincing them they had received substantial inheritances and needed to send money to individuals associated with the defendants in order to claim it.

“In addition to the inheritance scam, the pair carried out an online romance scam that involved communicating with victims via social media and dating websites, building trust with the victims through a purported online romance, and convincing them to send money to a predetermined recipient. Aniukwu and Ibekie also orchestrated a ‘business email compromise’ scam that targeted corporate email accounts.

“The fraud schemes were uncovered by a covert law enforcement investigation. The scams resulted in losses to victims of at least $3.5 million.”

The statement revealed that after being arraigned on at least 14 charges, Ibekie and Aniukwu both pleaded guilty to their offenses.

Following their guilty pleas, Ibekie was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday, November 21, while Aniukwu received a 10-year sentence on November 8.

The statement continued, “A federal jury earlier this year convicted Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, Ill., on all 14 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank, and passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger on Thursday sentenced Ibekie to 20 years in federal prison.

“Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and money laundering charges. Judge Seeger on Nov. 8, 2024, sentenced Aniukwu to 10 years in prison.”

Meanwhile, an accomplice of Ibekie and Aniukwu, who is a US citizen, Jennifer Gosha, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18 following her guilty plea.

“A third defendant, Jennifer Gosha, 52, a U.S. citizen from Oak Park, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent. Gosha is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Seeger on December 18, 2024,” the statement concluded.