The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has identified four Nigerian nationals as wanted suspects over an alleged Business Email Compromise (BEC) fraud scheme that reportedly resulted in losses of more than $6,000,000 for over 70 American businesses.
The four men are:
- Richard Izuchukwu Uzuh
- Felix Osilama Okpoh
- Nnamdi Orson Benson
- Micheal Olorunyomi
They are all believed to be currently residing in Nigeria.
Federal arrest warrants have been issued for the four suspects following indictments filed by the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska in Omaha.
FBI: How the Fraud Scheme Operated
According to the FBI, Uzuh, who was born on April 29, 1986, allegedly played a coordinating role in the scheme by sending spoofed emails to thousands of businesses across the United States.
The emails were reportedly designed to deceive businesses into approving fraudulent wire transfers. Investigators allege that Uzuh worked with money launderers, romance scammers and other individuals involved in BEC networks to transfer the proceeds through a network of people located both within and outside the United States.
Uzuh was indicted on October 18, 2016, on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Okpoh, born March 9, 1989, is accused of providing hundreds of bank accounts that were allegedly used to receive money obtained through the fraud scheme.
According to the FBI, accounts supplied by Okpoh received fraudulent transfers totalling more than $1,000,000 from businesses that were targeted.
He was indicted on August 21, 2019, on a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Benson, born March 21, 1987, is also facing a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud over his alleged involvement in the scheme, which reportedly targeted more than 70 businesses.
Olorunyomi, born May 12, 1983, is accused of operating romance fraud schemes targeting elderly and widowed victims.
The FBI alleges that his romance fraud activities caused losses exceeding $1,000,000. Investigators also said bank accounts belonging to victims of his romance scams were provided to other suspects and allegedly used to receive money from separate fraud schemes.
Olorunyomi was indicted on November 13, 2019, on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, identity theft, and access device fraud. He faces the broadest range of charges among the four suspects.
Federal Warrants and Outstanding Arrests
Federal arrest warrants for Uzuh, Okpoh, Benson and Olorunyomi were issued by the court on the day after their respective indictments.
The four suspects remain at large.
The FBI’s publication of their names and photographs forms part of the agency’s efforts to draw attention to outstanding federal warrants and obtain information that could assist authorities in locating and apprehending the suspects.
