On January 15, 2025, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, 36, a Nigerian national, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to operating a transnational inheritance fraud scheme that defrauded over 400 elderly and vulnerable victims across the United States.
Court documents revealed that Ogbata was part of a group that sent fraudulent letters claiming recipients were entitled to multimillion-dollar inheritances from deceased overseas relatives. Victims were instructed to pay delivery fees, taxes, and other charges before receiving the inheritance, but no funds were ever delivered.
The scheme defrauded victims of over $6 million, using a network of U.S.-based former victims to funnel money to the perpetrators.
“The long arm of the American justice system has no limits when it comes to reaching fraudsters who prey on our nation’s most vulnerable populations,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe.
Ogbata pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing is set for April 14 before U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman.
This case marks the second indictment in connection with the international scheme. Six other co-conspirators from the United Kingdom, Spain, and Nigeria have been convicted and sentenced, with penalties ranging from 82 to 128 months in prison.
The investigation involved the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and international partners, including the Portuguese Judicial Police and Prosecution Service.
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