Fresh $6m fraud: US arraigns 11 Nigerians

Barely two weeks after the United States indicted six Nigerians for alleged involvement in over $6m internet fraud, 11 more Nigerians have been arraigned over another $6m alleged bank fraud.

According to a statement by the US Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey, the defendants are Sulaiman Dosunmu, 39;  Tunde Adeowo, 40; Muritala Adeowo, 55; Ayanniyi Alayande, 47; Ahmmed Ponle, 41; Margiettu Kamu, 34; Rafiat Sarumi, 36; Babatunde Oke, 40; Adekunle Owolabi, 49; Olayinka Olaseinde, 42; Olugbenga Oyedele, 47.

They were charged for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to commit bank fraud in Southern New Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania over the course of four years, US Attorney, Craig Carpenito said.

The suspects, said to have swindled hundreds of victims through accounts domiciled in American banks including Wells Fargo, were arraigned on multiple counts including fraud, forgery, amongst others.

The charge sheet partly read, “The defendants are allegedly members of a Nigeria-based, multi-layered organization that engaged in a massive bank fraud conspiracy in several states, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Rhode Island, between June 2016 and March 2020.

“Members of the group stole numerous business checks from the United States mail, altered the payee on the checks to a fraudulent name and deposited the checks in bank accounts that had been opened with forged foreign passport documents and fraudulent US visas that matched the names on the stolen checks. Punch