Two Nigerians, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, have been sentenced to a combined 30 years in prison for defrauding U.S. citizens out of $3.5 million.
The sentences were announced in a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday.
The pair orchestrated scams by misleading victims into believing they had received large inheritances that required upfront payments to claim.
They also engaged in romance scams, establishing relationships with victims through social media and dating sites to build trust before soliciting money.
According to the statement, an undercover investigation revealed that Ibekie and Aniukwu used aliases to communicate with victims across the United States, convincing them to send money under false pretenses.
Their fraudulent activities included a "business email compromise" scheme targeting corporate email accounts.
Following their arraignment presided over by U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger on 14 count charges, both men pleaded guilty. Ibekie received a 20-year sentence on Thursday, while Aniukwu was sentenced to 10 years on November 8.
Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, Illinois, was convicted on charges including wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, Illinois, pleaded guilty to similar charges last year.
Additionally, Jennifer Gosha, a U.S. citizen and accomplice of Ibekie and Aniukwu, is scheduled for sentencing on December 18 after pleading guilty to wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent earlier this year.
