How Two Nigerian Fraudsters Landed in U.S. Jail for 215 Months After Extradition from Spain

Two Nigerian nationals who were extradited from Spain to the United States have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a transnational inheritance fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims in the United States.

They are among five defendants who were extradited from the United Kingdom and Spain in connection with this matter.

According to court documents, the fraudsters sent personalized letters to elderly victims in the United States, falsely claiming that they were representatives of a bank in Spain and that the recipients were entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left by a family member who had died years before in Portugal.

The fraudsters told the victims that they had to send money for delivery fees and taxes and other payments before they could receive their purported inheritance.

The victims sent money to the fraudsters through a complex network of U.S.-based former victims who were recruited by the fraudsters to receive and forward the fraud proceeds.

The lead defendant, Ezennia Peter Neboh, 48, was sentenced today to 128 months of incarceration. Another defendant, Kennedy Ikponmwosa, was sentenced on Oct. 23 to 87 months of imprisonment.

Three other co-defendants who were extradited from the United Kingdom also received prison sentences ranging from 82 to 90 months.

The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are investigating and prosecuting the case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Europol and authorities from the United Kingdom and Spain assisted with the successful investigation and extradition of the defendants.

“This prosecution is a testament to the critical role of transnational collaboration in tackling transnational crime,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch will continue to pursue, prosecute and bring to justice transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers.”

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