A 33-year-old Nigerian man in Houston, Edikan Adiakpan, has been arrested in connection with a large-scale business email compromise (BEC) and money laundering scheme, according to US Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Adiakpan is expected to make his initial court appearance at 2 p.m. before US Magistrate Judge Peter Bray in Houston on Friday.
A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment on June 11, charging Adiakpan with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
According to the indictment, Adiakpan and others allegedly carried out a BEC scheme 2021 targeting companies in at least eight US states.
One of the victims was a California-based research organisation focused on developing medical treatments for American veterans.
The conspirators were accused of spoofing emails that mimicked legitimate communications from trusted suppliers and creditors.
Victims were tricked into diverting payments to bank accounts controlled by the suspects rather than their vendors.
Authorities alleged that the illicit funds were swiftly moved between various bank accounts and converted into cashier’s checks. Adiakpan was accused of cashing some cheques and taking a commission from the proceeds.
Another individual linked to the scheme, 26-year-old Ayobami Omoniyi, a Nigerian national, has previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and is awaiting sentencing before US District Judge Andrew S. Hanen.
If convicted, Adiakpan faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the wire fraud and money laundering charges, and up to five years for illegal money transmitting offence.
Each count also carries a potential fine of up to $250,000.
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