Nigerian Fraudster Captured, Convicted for Scamming 400 U.S. Citizens

A Nigerian national, Amos Prince Okey Ezemma, 50, has pleaded guilty to operating a transnational inheritance fraud scheme that defrauded over 400 elderly and vulnerable consumers in the United States out of more than $6 million. Ezemma and his co-conspirators sent personalized letters to victims, falsely claiming they were entitled to a multimillion-dollar inheritance. The scheme required victims to send money for delivery fees, taxes, and other payments, but they never received any inheritance funds.

Ezemma’s guilty plea is the latest conviction in a case involving six defendants, all of whom have now been convicted and sentenced or are awaiting sentencing. The scheme was uncovered through a collaborative effort by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, with assistance from international authorities.

“Fraudsters like this individual proved to be unethical by ruthlessly targeting the elderly in the name of greed,” said HSI Special Agent Francisco B. Burrola. The Justice Department and U.S. law enforcement agencies will continue to work together to bring transnational criminals to justice and protect U.S. citizens from these scams.

Ezemma faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 22. The case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration in combating fraud and protecting vulnerable citizens.