Wire fraud: Nigerian jailed nine years in US

A United States District Court in Charlotte, North Carolina has sentenced a Nigerian, Ugochukwu Enwerem, aka Joseph Smith, to nine years imprisonment on one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and 14 counts of wire fraud.

The US Justice Department said in a statement posted on its website on Sunday said District Judge Graham Mullen also ordered Enwerem to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. In addition, Enwerem was ordered to forfeit $9,453,815 (N1,447,804,538.57) and to pay restitution in the same amount, jointly and severally with fellow Nigerian and co-defendant, Kent Okojie.



Enwerem was found guilty in March 2010 by a federal jury in the Western District of North Carolina on the 15 counts, the statement said. In September 2009, his co-accused pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and two counts of wire fraud and was sentenced to 72 months in prison in November.

Okojie and Enwerem, who resided in the Netherlands, were originally charged in a June 2007 complaint.

They were subsequently extradited to the US from The Netherlands, where they had been in custody on Dutch charges.

The statement also contained excerpts from court documents.

It said, “Evidence at trial showed that between at least August 25, 2004 and April 23, 2007, Enwerem and his co-conspirators solicited individuals in the United States, Europe and Australia by sending spam e-mails informing potential victims that they had either won a foreign lottery, inherited a large sum of money from a long lost relative, or were eligible to recover outstanding construction contract payments.

“When individuals responded to the e-mails, the defendants, posing as lawyers, bankers and European government officials, solicited fees from victims ostensibly to pay for things such as ‘anti-terrorism certificates’, ‘EU bank clearances’, ‘anti-money laundering certificates’, and legal fees in order to secure their purported lotto winnings, inheritance or contract payments.”

The US Justice Department stated that Enwerem and Okojie instructed American victims “to wire funds, using Western Union and other money transfer services, to them and their designees in The Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom.

“According to trial testimony, at least 18 US and international victims were defrauded of more than $9.5m during the period when Enwerem was a member of the conspiracy.”

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Posted: at 28-02-2011 02:30 AM (13 years ago) | Addicted Hero

na the people weh deh believe that kin email i deh blame sef!
why u go reply d mail when u know say u no play any lottery?
why u go reply dat kin email wen u no say u no get relative weh fit leave u millions of dollars?
na 'oju kokoro' deh kill all of una!

Posted: at 28-02-2011 06:34 AM (13 years ago) | Upcoming

i mainly believe that,na greedy man dey enter that kind victims

Posted: at 28-02-2011 08:09 AM (13 years ago) | Upcoming

WELL SURE IS THAT I WONT BE SO STUPID TO BELIEVE IN THIS LETTERS, I RATHER SEND THEM TO FBI OR EFCC.
SECOND DONT DEFEND THEM, BECAUSE THEY STEAL AND THIEFS BELONG TO JAIL AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
I KNOW THIS GUYS AND THEY BEHAVE LIKE BIG BUSINESS MEN WHILE THEY ARE NOTHING MORE THEN CRIMINALS.FUNNY ANYWAY.
I KNOW ENOUGH HARDWORKING LEGAL AFRICANS HERE, WHO DO WELL ENOUGH ON NORMAL JOBS.
THIS GUYS THINK THEY GO UNDER OUR LAW HERE, THEY DONT KNOW EUROPE AND AMERICA ALL WORK TOGETHER TO END THIS THINGS.
LONG TIME THEY FOLLOW THIS GROUPS TO ARREST ALL IN ONE TIME WHEN THE TIME IS READY.
ITS GOOD I KNOW ENOUGH GOOD NAIJA GUYS HERE IN THE NETHERLANDS , WHO GOT LEGAL DUTCH AND HAVE NICE JOBS HERE. THATS THE WAY TO ENTER A COUNTRY. HONESTY PAYS OFF.

Posted: at 28-02-2011 09:23 AM (13 years ago) | Newbie

hmmm no comment

Posted: at 28-02-2011 10:19 AM (13 years ago) | Gistmaniac

d guys r so intelligent...very simple logic the victim and thief both wana make money....so there is no crime

Nothing like inteligences in crime.They should earn a living from hardworking and integrity. they should have used their inteligent to study hard and brings glory to Nigeria. Bad eggs among honest Nigerian.

Posted: at 28-02-2011 11:01 AM (13 years ago) | Upcoming

Hmmmmmmm...................Naija..

Posted: at 28-02-2011 11:06 AM (13 years ago) | Upcoming

HMMM

Posted: at 28-02-2011 11:17 AM (13 years ago) | Hero

THE GUY IS CAUGHT UP IN HIS OWN NET.EVERYDAY FOR THE THIEF ONE DAY FOR THE OWNER.WETIN MONEY GO DO PEOPLE.NA HIM SABI OOOOOO

Posted: at 28-02-2011 11:30 AM (13 years ago) | Gistmaniac

pasin

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Posted: at 28-02-2011 12:13 PM (13 years ago) | Addicted Hero