$11m Fraud: Extradited Nigerian Jailed In the U.S. – EFCC (PHOTOS)
Mr. Emmanuel Ehkator, a Nigerian who was investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for criminal conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in the U.S.A has been sentenced by District Court Judge, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Yvette Kane, to a three-year term. He is also ordered to pay $11,092,028 in restitution to his victims.
42-year-old
Ehkator was arrested in Nigeria by the EFCC in August 2010 and
extradited to the U.S. in August 2011, followed his plea of guilt (see
the photos below):
Justice Kane also ordered Ehkator’s forfeiture of properties in Canada and the contents of several bank accounts in Nigeria.
During
the trial, the prosecutor informed the court that Mr. Ehkator was part
of an attorney collection scam. Their modus operandi, he said was for
the convict to contact U.S. and Canadian law firms by e-mail claiming to
be individuals or businesses outside North America who were owed money
by entities in the United States and asked for legal representation to
collect the money.
The
prosecutor further told the court that, “often, the prospective
“clients” said the money owed came from a real estate transaction, tort
claim, or divorce settlement. Once the law firm agreed to represent the
out-of-country client, the law firm would be contacted by the U.S.
entity purportedly owing money with an offer to pay the client by
cheque. The client would instruct the law firm to deposit the cheque in
the law firm’s trust account, retain the law firm’s fee, and wire the
remaining funds to accounts in Asia”.
The
cheque that was then mailed to the law firm would be a counterfeit
cheque, a fact that would be discovered only after funds from the law
firm’s trust account had been wired to the Asian bank, the prosecution
said.
The
counterfeit cheques, which appeared to be drawn on legitimate accounts
from well-established financial institutions, often included a telephone
number for the financial institution. Lawyers attempting to determine
the validity of the cheque would call the number only to reach another
conspirator who would falsely verify the cheque. The court was also told
that Ehkator’s involvement in the scheme makes him responsible for
losses of more than $7 million and up to $20 million.
Ehkator’s
co-defendant, Yvette Mathurin, has also been charged for conspiracy and
is awaiting extradition from Canada while another co-conspirator,
Kingsley Osagie, was arrested as he arrived in the Atlanta area from
Nigeria and is currently awaiting trial in the Middle District of
Pennsylvania. Other co-conspirators are pending extradition from several
foreign countries as investigation continues against other members of
the large, multi-national conspiracy.
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