Popular Businessman Sentenced to 4 Years in US Over $2 Million Fraud
- Joseph Nantomah, 49, a Nigerian national who entered the US on a visitor's visa in 2016, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison on September 18, 2026
- Operating under the alias 'The Black Mentor,' Nantomah ran fake real estate investment classes and conferences to solicit funds from unsuspecting victims
- At least 39 victims, mostly Nigerian immigrants and church members, lost a combined $2,762,798 to the scheme between May 2020 and December 2024
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A Nigerian national who built a fraudulent persona as a successful real estate entrepreneur has been handed a four-year federal prison sentence after swindling more than $2.7 million from dozens of victims across the United States and abroad.
Joseph James Nantomah, 49, was sentenced on September 18, 2026, by United States District Judge Lynn Adelman in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
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First Assistant United States Attorney Brad Schimel announced the verdict, which included a restitution order of $2,762,798.37 payable to victims, along with three years of supervised release following his prison term.
How Nantomah built his fraudulent empire
Nantomah arrived in the United States from Nigeria in 2016 on a visitor's visa. Over the following years, he constructed a false online identity under the alias "The Black Mentor," presenting himself as the architect of a thriving multi-million-dollar property business.
To sustain the illusion, he organised conferences and paid-for classes marketed under the "Wealth Flow" brand, where he claimed to impart the secrets of financial success in America.
Attendees were subsequently persuaded to invest their money into what Nantomah described as a profitable real estate operation. He promised substantial returns. In reality, he held no legitimate real estate business and possessed no genuine expertise in the field.
Between May 2020 and December 2024, Nantomah stole $2,762,798.37 from at least 39 victims. He deliberately targeted Nigerian immigrants and fellow church members, leveraging shared cultural identity and aspirations of upward mobility to extract funds.
The money was spent on private jet charters, luxury vehicles, expensive jewellery, and a yacht. Nantomah also used victim funds to purchase honorary doctorate degrees for himself and his wife, and to pay celebrities to appear at his events.
Victims and sentencing
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Adelman emphasised the scale of the harm inflicted, noting that the scheme "went on for a long time, caused substantial loss, and dramatically impacted the lives of numerous victims." Several victims addressed the court directly, describing the financial and personal devastation their families endured.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Schimel said of those defrauded: "They were working class immigrants who were devastated by this betrayal by someone they trusted."
FBI Milwaukee Special Agent in Charge Alan Karr confirmed that Nantomah had misrepresented himself to solicit investments by promising profits from purchasing, renovating, and reselling properties, while diverting more than $2 million for personal expenditure.
Robert J. Kuszynski, Acting Special Agent in Charge at IRS Criminal Investigation's Chicago Field Office, noted that for some victims, the losses wiped out retirement savings and education funds accumulated over many years.
The investigation was conducted jointly by IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI, with additional involvement from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Wisconsin Department of Financial Investigations. The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Julie F. Stewart.
35-year-old pleads guilty in $2.5m romance scam
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a Nigerian national, Olamide Shanu, pleaded guilty to charges linked to a sophisticated international fraud operation.
His schemes targeted roughly 150 Americans and generated more than $2.5 million in criminal proceeds.
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Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
