US Court in Ohio Convicts Nigerians Over $215 Million Internet Fraud
- Three Africans have been convicted by a US court over a sophisticated global email fraud scheme that targeted businesses and individuals
- The group gained access to email accounts, monitored communications, and sent convincing fake payment requests to unsuspecting victims
- Authorities also traced and recovered assets, including cash, cryptocurrency, and luxury items, linked to the operation
The Northern District Court of Ohio in the US has reportedly convicted three Africans in connection with large-scale online fraud operations targeting individuals and businesses across the world.
The court said the scheme involved fake business emails that deceived victims into sending money. In all, over 1,000 people were scammed, with losses totalling about $215 million.
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According to a report sighted on GhanaWeb, a jury in Toledo on April 24, 2026, found Oluwafemi Michael Awoyemi, 40, Aruan Drake, 37, and Peter Reed, 35, guilty of wire fraud conspiracy. Awoyemi and Drake were also convicted of money laundering conspiracy.
US authorities stated that the group gained access to email accounts and tracked their victims’ conversations to understand how they operated.
They then sent false payment requests that appeared genuine, according to officials.
“The fraudulent emails are crafted in a way to convince recipients that the request for payment was for legitimate business,” the court said.
“Once the money was sent, it was moved through multiple bank accounts and transfer channels to hide the source.”
The court also noted that about $50 million was converted into cashier’s cheques through a money service business in the Chicago area. Some of these transactions involved false identities and shell companies, it added.
Victims were located across the US and several countries, including Canada, Germany, Italy, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, according to the court. In one case, a company allegedly transferred $2.7 million after receiving a fake request.
Investigators also recovered assets, including cash, cryptocurrency, luxury watches, and property, linked to the operations.
FBI bust car theft ring linked to Ghana
In a related development, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States has busted an international car-theft syndicate linked to Ghana.
A statement issued by the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, disclosed that six people were apprehended by the FBI following a one-year-long investigation.
According to the statement, the suspects are believed to be members of the car-theft syndicate, primarily operating in Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania.
"A 15-count indictment was unsealed today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia and charges six individuals in connection with their roles in a conspiracy that allegedly stole at least 20 cars in the Washington metropolitan area and Pennsylvania, transported the vehicles across state lines, and sold the vehicles to buyers in the United States and the African nation of Ghana," the statement read.
"Law enforcement is continuing to investigate the defendants involved in this ring in relation to the theft of more than 100 vehicles in the District of Columbia and more than 30 vehicles in Prince George’s County, Maryland," it indicated.
It further explained that officers of the FBI also executed a search warrant on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at an automobile storage facility in Decatur, Georgia, which is suspected to be linked to the auto-theft ring.
Source: Facebook
FBI arrest Ghanaian in $100m romance scam
Meanwhil, YEN.com.gh reported that Derrick Van Yeboah, a 40-year-old Ghanaian businessman, had pleaded guilty in the US to his role in a large-scale online fraud.
Court documents showed that many victims were deceived into sending money under the belief they were in genuine online relationships.
Van Yeboah is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Arun Subramanian on June 3, 2026.
Source: YEN.com.gh
