How FBI arrested Kwam1’s son, 8 other Nigerians over $2m fraud in the U.S

Nine Nigerians including son of popular Yoruba Fuji artiste, Kwam 1 have been arrested in the U.S and Nigeria as part of an international investigation into online “romance scams” and “mystery shopper” schemes that made victims lose at least $2 million over the past two years.
During the Chicago-based investigation, dubbed “Operation Gold Phish,” law enforcement identified a variety of cyber-enabled fraud schemes allegedly carried out by conspirators in the U.S. and Nigeria.

A criminal complaint filed Dec. 4, 2018, in U.S. District Court in Chicago charged nine defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Arrests were recently carried out in Illinois, Texas, and Nigeria, and all of the defendants are now in law enforcement custody.
The Nigerian EFCC is conducting a related investigation of other individuals in Nigeria.

Arrested on the U.S. charges in Illinois were Daniel Samuel Eta, 35, Babatunde Ladehinde Labiyi, 20, Barnabas Oghenerukevwe Edjieh, 29, Kwam 1’s son, Sultan Omogbadebo Anifowoshe, 26, aka Ayinde; Babatunde Ibraheem Akarigidi, 39, Miracle Ayokunle Okunola, 21, Olurotimi Akitunde Idowu, 55.

Adewale Anthony Adewumi, 27, was arrested in Texas, and Olaniyi Adeleye Ogungbaiye, 26, aka DonChiChi, was arrested in Lagos, Nigeria.

For two years, their victims became an “unwitting money mule” for the defendants, according to an FBI affidavit. The defendants slowly built a connection with the victims, posing as their romantic partner or boss before requesting deposits into bank accounts they opened under fake passports. Some platforms used to seek out these victims include Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Match.com.
The defendants often tried to emotionally manipulate their victims, including by targeting a woman who admitted she was recently widowed and felt lonely, according to the affidavit. One victim believed he or she was dating a woman with cancer named “Claire Anderson” and sent her funds to “travel to Nigeria for family reasons.”

In a yet another romance scam, a fake Instagram account under the alias “Sarah Allison” told a victim she needed “financial help” to acquire a $2.5 million inheritance. From November 2017 to this October, the victim sent a total $38,100 to accounts under the names “Chattman Ronald Stewart” and “Beckham Dave Smith.”

There was also an alleged “mystery shopper” scam that entailed hiring victims to cash in United States Postal Service money orders or United States Mail checks and then send the funds to a third party using their personal bank account, the affidavit said. Victims were told they would receive commissions for doing so — but the money orders and checks were fake, resulting in the victim or the victim’s bank absorbing the loss.
Among other deceits, defendants carried out employment fraud schemes as well, the affidavit said. The work-from-home scam involved telling the victim to deposit funds to a bank account as part of the fake company’s business dealings.

Once the group got the money, they funneled the proceeds into their personal bank accounts or overseas, often Nigeria, the affidavit said.

At least three times, the money was used to pay for vehicles on behalf of a Nigerian car company owned by one of the defendants. The charge in the complaint carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Culled from Chicago Sun-Times