A Nigerian national, James Junior Aliyu, 30, has pleaded guilty in a U.S. federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for his role in a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) scheme that defrauded victims of millions of dollars.

The Guardian reports that at the time Aliyu committed the crimes, he was residing in South Africa and was extradited to the United States to face the charges.

According to reports, Aliyu’s guilty plea, announced by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland alongside Evan Campanella, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore, marks the conclusion of proceedings against the final of three Nigerians charged in connection with the conspiracy. Eight other defendants previously pleaded guilty in separate cases in the same district.

A federal grand jury originally indicted Aliyu, along with Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, 30, and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu, 31, on 24 June 2019 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. All three were residents of South Africa when the alleged crimes occurred. The indictment was unsealed on 6 July 2022 following their arrests abroad.

According to court documents, from February to July 2017, Aliyu and his co-conspirators targeted individuals and businesses by gaining unauthorized access to email accounts. Using “spoofed” emails that appeared to come from legitimate senders, the group sent fraudulent wiring instructions, directing victims to transfer funds into bank accounts controlled by the perpetrators, often referred to as “drop accounts.”

In addition to defrauding victims, Aliyu participated in laundering the proceeds through account transfers, cash withdrawals, cashier’s checks, and other means designed to conceal the origin and ownership of the funds.

The plea agreement states that the intended loss from transactions Aliyu directly managed was at least $4,162,211.65, with actual losses amounting to $1,570,475. He is reported to have directly controlled at least $1,194,565 of the illicit proceeds.

Aliyu is required to pay a money judgment of at least $1,194,565 and restitution totalling at least $2,389,130 to the victims.

He faces a maximum federal sentence of 20 years in prison. Sentencing has been scheduled before U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman on 24 November. (The Guardian)