A U.S. federal court has convicted Nigerian national Ehis Lawrence Akhimie for his involvement in an international inheritance fraud scheme that scammed more than 400 elderly and vulnerable Americans out of over $6 million.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced the conviction on Thursday, following Akhimie’s guilty plea on June 17.
He now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.Here is a rewritten version of the text for improved clarity and flow:
Fraud Details
According to court documents, 41-year-old Akhimie was a key member of a global fraud network that targeted elderly individuals across the United States. The group sent fraudulent letters to victims, falsely claiming they had inherited large sums of money from deceased relatives overseas.
The letters instructed recipients to send payments for supposed delivery fees, taxes, and other fake charges. These funds were funneled through individuals in the U.S.—many of whom were previous victims who had been manipulated into forwarding the money to Akhimie and his co-conspirators. In reality, no inheritances ever existed, and the victims never received any payouts.
Akhimie admitted to personally defrauding victims out of more than $6 million.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, with assistance from law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate reaffirmed the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting international fraud schemes.
“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch will continue to pursue, prosecute, and bring to justice transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers, wherever they are located,” Shumate said.
“This case highlights the importance of international cooperation in fighting transnational crime.”
Sentencing
Akhimie faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the Department of Justice, this marks the second major indictment in the inheritance fraud scheme. Seven other individuals—co-conspirators from Nigeria, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal—have already been convicted and sentenced:
- Ezennia Peter Neboh – 128 months (extradited from Spain)
- Kennedy Ikponmwosa – 97 months (extradited from Spain)
- Emmanuel Samuel – 82 months (extradited from the United Kingdom)
- Jerry Chucks Ozor – 87 months (extradited from the United Kingdom)
- Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham – 90 months (extradited from the United Kingdom)
- Amos Prince Okey Ezemma – 90 months (paroled into the U.S. from Nigeria)
- Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata – 97 months (extradited from Portugal)
The Justice Department encourages anyone affected by elder fraud to contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311. The hotline provides support and can connect callers to relevant local agencies for assistance.
