A Nigerian resident in the United States, Okeoghene Patrick Udugba, is facing up to 30 years in prison after a federal grand jury indicted him over his alleged involvement in a romance scam and business email compromise scheme that reportedly defrauded a United States government agency of more than $300,000.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced on Wednesday that Udugba, 45, who resides in Frisco, Texas, was indicted on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud.
According to the United States Attorney, Brian Miller, Udugba and his alleged co-conspirators operated overlapping romance and business email compromise schemes by using social media platforms and dating websites to establish fake romantic relationships with victims across multiple states.
The victims were allegedly manipulated and later used as money mules to receive and cash fraudulently obtained cheques.
“Udugba and others utilised social media and dating websites to meet and establish purported romantic relationships with persons in multiple states. Those persons were groomed and ultimately used by Udugba and others as money mules to receive and cash fraudulently obtained checks,” Miller stated.
Investigators further alleged that members of the syndicate used spoofed email addresses originating from Nigeria to impersonate officials of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
According to the indictment, the fraudulent emails directed that grant funds belonging to the agency be used to settle fake invoices purportedly issued by contractors and consultants who were falsely presented as having executed grant-related projects.
“Members of the conspiracy sent emails from ‘spoofed’ addresses in Nigeria, claiming to be representatives of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The spoofed emails directed that FWS grant funds be used to pay fabricated invoices, which falsely represented that the money mules were contractors and consultants of FWS who had performed work on grant-eligible projects,” Miller said.
The fraudulent invoices allegedly convinced the agency’s grant administrator to authorise payments exceeding $300,000.
The United States Attorney’s Office stated that Udugba could face a maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, supervised release after serving any prison term and substantial financial penalties if convicted.
However, prosecutors stressed that the indictment is only an allegation and does not constitute proof of guilt.
“The indictments and criminal information are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court,” the statement noted.
The case forms part of ongoing efforts by United States authorities to combat international cybercrime, business email compromise schemes and online romance fraud operations targeting individuals and institutions.
