Two Nigerians Okechuckwu Osuji and Tolulope Bodunde have been sentenced to a combined 10 years in prison by a US federal court for their roles in a business email compromise (BEC) scheme that defrauded victims of $6 million.
The sentencing was announced in a press release by the US Department of Justice.
Mr Osuji, 39, was sentenced to eight years in prison on December 4, 2024, following his conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Bodunde was sentenced on October 16, 2024, to two years in prison after pleading guilty.
The court also ordered Osuji to pay restitution to the victims of the fraud.
According to court documents, Osuji and his co-conspirators executed the scheme by posing as trusted entities to deceive businesses and individuals through fraudulent electronic communications; using “money mules”—some of whom were duped victims—to launder and transfer fraud proceeds and exploiting elderly victims through romance scams.
Osuji was said to have been extradited from Malaysia in 2022 and was found guilty of “conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft” on May 1, 2024.
“As a result of the scheme, losses and intended losses totalled over $6 million. At his sentencing hearing, Osuji was ordered to pay restitution to his victims.
“Another co-conspirator, Tolulope Bodunde, also a citizen of Nigeria, pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Oct. 16 to two years in prison,” the statement concluded.
