Amos Prince Okey Ezemma, a 50-year-old man, has been arrested and arraigned on charges related to an inheritance fraud scheme, according to a statement released by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement this week.
Ezemma was apprehended at Washington Dulles International Airport on December 7, 2023, and presented before a Miami court on December 20, 2023. He remains in detention pending trial.
Court documents allege that Ezemma orchestrated an inheritance fraud scheme targeting elderly individuals in the United States. Over a span of more than five years, he allegedly sent personalised letters falsely claiming to represent a Spanish bank.
These letters deceived recipients into believing they were entitled to a multimillion-dollar inheritance left by a deceased family member in Spain years ago.
The scheme involved convincing victims that to claim their supposed inheritance, they needed to pay for delivery fees, taxes, and other expenses. Ezemma purportedly collected money sent by victims through a network of former victims in the US, whom the defendants convinced to receive and forward the funds to them and their associates.
Victims who sent money never received any inheritance funds, according to the indictment.
Ezemma faces charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as mail fraud and wire fraud. If convicted, he could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Five other defendants, including Ezennia Peter Neboh, Kennedy Ikponmwosa, Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham, Emmanuel Samuel, and Jerry Chucks Ozor, all from London, were apprehended in April 2022 by authorities in Madrid and London.
Neboh and Ikponmwosa, extradited from Spain, received sentences of 128 months and 97 months in prison, respectively.
Samuel, Ozor, and Abraham were sentenced to 82 months, 87 months, and 90 months in prison, respectively, for their involvement in the scheme.
