Nigerian National Gets 8-Year Prison Term for $6M US Inheritance Scam

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Nigerian Man Sentenced to Over 8 Years in U.S. Prison for Leading $6M Inheritance Scam That Defrauded 400+ Elderly Americans Through Fake Letters from 'Spanish Bank'



A 36-year-old Nigerian national, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, has been sentenced to 97 months in a U.S. federal prison for masterminding a $6 million transnational inheritance fraud scheme that victimized more than 400 elderly and vulnerable Americans.

Court records reveal that Ogbata was part of a criminal syndicate that mailed fake letters across the U.S., falsely informing recipients they were due multimillion-dollar inheritances from deceased relatives in Spain. Posing as a Spanish bank, the scammers instructed victims to pay bogus fees like taxes and delivery charges before receiving their "inheritance."

Instead of receiving any funds, victims were tricked into wiring money through a laundering network that unknowingly involved other Americans. These intermediaries helped channel the stolen funds to Ogbata and his associates. No inheritances were ever real, and Ogbata admitted to stealing over $6 million.

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The U.S. Department of Justice hailed the case as a significant breakthrough in combating international fraud, made possible by cooperation with law enforcement in Portugal, Spain, the UK, and Europol.

“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,” stated U.S. Attorney Hayden P. Byrne of the Southern District of Florida.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov M. Roth added that the Justice Department remains committed to pursuing transnational criminals, regardless of location.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with key support from the Justice Department’s Civil Division and the U.S. Office of International Affairs.

The Justice Department encourages anyone over 60 who may have been targeted by financial scams to contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311)


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