A Nigerian national, Edikan Adiakpan, aged 33, has been taken into custody in the United States for his alleged involvement in a widespread business email compromise (BEC) and money laundering operation.
The operation is said to have defrauded multiple entities in eight different U.S. states, one of which includes a California-based medical research organisation focused on providing treatments for U.S. military veterans.
Details of the arrest were disclosed in a press statement published on Thursday on the official website of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Nicholas J. Ganjei, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, made the announcement, noting that Adiakpan is set to appear for the first time in court before Magistrate Judge Peter Bray in Houston.
A federal grand jury had, on June 11, indicted Adiakpan on three counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and operating an unlicensed money transmission business.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the accused and his alleged accomplices executed the scam in 2021 by sending fake emails impersonating legitimate business vendors.
“They were allegedly tricked into sending payments to bank accounts the fraudsters controlled instead of the actual suppliers.”
“The charges further allege the conspirators laundered the funds by quickly transferring the money between multiple bank accounts they controlled. They then allegedly converted the funds into cashier’s checks. Adiakpan allegedly cashed the checks and kept a percentage as a fee,”
Another Nigerian, Ayobami Omoniyi, aged 26, has also been previously charged in connection to the same fraudulent activity.
He is presently awaiting sentencing before U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen.
“If convicted, Adiakpan faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges and up to five years for the illegal money transmitting.
“Each conviction carries a possible $250,000 maximum fine,”
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Houston Field Office, its Bryan Resident Agency, and the IRS Criminal Investigation team.
The case is currently being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek and Christine Lu.
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