A Nigerian man, Victor Uzor, has been sentenced to four years in prison by a United States District Court for his involvement in a $1.1 million business email compromise scheme.
The sentence, handed down by Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge, includes three years of supervised release and over $1 million in restitution.
According to United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero, Uzor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft on January 2, 2024.
The scheme involved a member of the conspiracy posing as a legitimate vendor and sending a false invoice to the victim organization.
Uzor’s part in the offence involved opening bank accounts using the identities of unrelated innocent individuals.
Victims were then instructed to transfer money to these accounts, from which Uzor would promptly withdraw and transfer the funds to other accounts to avoid detection.
In total, Uzor aided in the theft of approximately $1.1 million from victimized businesses and individuals and attempted to steal an additional $400,000, which was unsuccessful.
One of the victims of the scheme was a nonprofit mental health care provider in Doylestown, PA. U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero stated that Uzor “helped prey upon the primary targets of the business email compromise, including a nonprofit organization in Bucks County dedicated to providing behavioural health care for the underprivileged and underserved.”
Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia, Wayne A. Jacobs, emphasized the FBI’s commitment to dismantling fraud schemes and bringing to justice those who orchestrate such scams.
