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A United States federal court has sentenced a Nigerian national, Leslie Chinedu Mba, to 228 months (19 years) in prison for his role in a multi-million-dollar romance scam and business email compromise operation.
The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge David Hittner, after the 40-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud as well as conspiracy to submit false information in immigration documents.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Mba and several accomplices orchestrated romance and business email fraud schemes between April 2018 and December 2023, targeting victims who were unaware they were communicating with criminals.
Prosecutors said the operation largely originated outside the United States, with conspirators gaining unauthorized access to corporate email accounts and diverting legitimate business payments into fraudulent bank accounts under their control.
Authorities explained that victims believed they were transferring funds to genuine companies, unaware that the payments had been redirected to accounts managed by the fraud network.
Investigators further revealed that Mba and his associates functioned as money mules, opening new bank accounts or using existing ones to receive and move proceeds generated from the scams.
The Justice Department also disclosed that Mba attempted to secure permanent residency in the United States through multiple sham marriages after an earlier immigration application was rejected and he was ordered removed from the country.
Officials estimated that the criminal enterprise caused financial losses totaling approximately $4 million.
Following completion of his prison term, Mba is expected to undergo removal proceedings from the United States.
Meanwhile, four Houston-based individuals previously linked to the case had already entered guilty pleas.
Grace Morisho, Rodgers Kadikilo, and Kristin Smith received prison sentences ranging between 15 and 25 months, while Alexandra Golovko was sentenced to five years of probation.
US court jails Nigerian man for 19 years over $4m romance, email fraud scheme
