2021-04-13 DOJ SDNY press_release 117 KB 4,186 chars

Georgia Man Sentenced To 40 Months In Prison For Participation In Multimillion-Dollar Business Email Compromise Scheme

Caption: United States v. Ifeanyi Eke, et al.

summary

Ifeanyi Eke, a Georgia man, was sentenced to 40 months in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud as a supervisor in an international BEC scheme that defrauded 35 victims of $2.7 million, personally receiving and dispersing funds including $188,815 from a New York-based organization.

paragraph

Ifeanyi Eke, 34, of Sandy Springs, Georgia, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his supervisory role in a multinational business email compromise (BEC) scheme operating between 2016 and July 2018. He was responsible for approximately $2.7 million in losses across 35 victims, including $188,815 wired to accounts he controlled from a New York-based intergovernmental organization, and managed co-conspirators by coordinating fund transfers, receiving spoofed emails, and distributing proceeds. In addition to a 40-month prison term and three years of supervised release, Eke was ordered to forfeit $365,205 and pay $2,691,908.30 in restitution.

narrative

Ifeanyi Eke, a 34-year-old resident of Sandy Springs, Georgia, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud as a key supervisor in an international business email compromise (BEC) scheme that operated between 2016 and July 2018. Eke played a central role by opening and controlling bank accounts to receive fraudulent wire transfers from 35 victims worldwide, including $188,815 from a New York-based intergovernmental organization, and personally withdrew and dispersed these funds for his own use and to co-conspirators. He also managed other participants in the scheme by arranging accounts to receive proceeds, communicating fraudulent wiring instructions from spoofed emails, and coordinating the deposit of checks derived from the fraud. Eke pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349, admitting his broad involvement in the syndicate’s operations. In addition to his prison term, he was sentenced to three years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit $365,205, and required to pay $2,691,908.30 in restitution to his victims. The FBI conducted the investigation, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York prosecuted the case through its Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. The scheme relied on spoofed emails impersonating trusted business partners to deceive victims into transferring funds to accounts controlled by Eke and his network.

Enriched metadata

Scheme: cyber-fraud (100%)
Court: Southern District of New York
Outcome: pleaded
Victim loss: $2,700,000

Classified cyber-fraud(confidence 100%). No EDGAR filing fingerprint (criminal/DOJ-side scheme). detection rule →

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 6

$3.00M $3 million $1M–$10M
$2.70M $2.7 Million $1M–$10M
$2.70M $2.7 million $1M–$10M
$2.69M $2,691,908 $1M–$10M
$365K $365,205 $100K–$1M
$189K $188,815 $100K–$1M

Entities 3

person ifeanyi eke
agency of the fbi
scheme_term to conspiracy to commit wire fraud

Triples 16

Ifeanyi Eke Pled Guilty To Conspiracy To Commit Wire Fraud
Ifeanyi Eke Was Sentenced To 40 Months In Prison
Ifeanyi Eke Is Responsible For Approximately $2.7 Million In Losses To 35 Victims
Ifeanyi Eke Received Wire Transfers From Several Different Victims In Bank Accounts That He Opened And Controlled
Ifeanyi Eke Withdrew And Transferred Fraud Proceeds Both For His Own Use And For Dissemination To His Co-conspirators
Ifeanyi Eke Managed And Supervised Other Members Of The Conspiracy
Ifeanyi Eke Arranged For Co-conspirators’ Accounts To Receive Fraud Proceeds
Ifeanyi Eke Received And Communicated Wire Transfer Information Contained In Victim Emails
Ifeanyi Eke Coordinated The Acquisition And Deposit Of Checks Representing Fraud Proceeds
Ifeanyi Eke Was Ordered To Forfeit $365,205
Ifeanyi Eke Was Ordered To Pay Restitution To His Victims In The Amount Of $2,691,908.30
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss Announced That Ifeanyi Eke Pled Guilty And Was Sentenced
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss Said That Ifeanyi Eke Played A Key Role In An International Conspiracy That Deceived And Defrauded Dozens Of Victims Of Nearly $3 Million
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss Praised The Outstanding Investigative Work Of The FBI
The Prosecution Of This Case Is Being Handled By The Office’s Complex Frauds And Cybercrime Unit
Assistant United States Attorneys Olga I. Zverovich And Jarrod L. Schaeffer Are In Charge Of The Prosecution Of This Case

View original DOJ press releasejustice.gov

Extracted body text (4,186c)

Press Release Georgia Man Sentenced To 40 Months In Prison For Participation In Multimillion-Dollar Business Email Compromise Scheme Tuesday, April 13, 2021 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York Ifeanyi Eke Had Supervisory Role in the Scheme and Is Responsible for Approximately $2.7 Million in Losses to 35 Victims Audrey Strauss, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that IFEANYI EKE, a/k/a “Luther Mulbah Doley,” pled guilty today and was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman to 40 months in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud as part of a wide-ranging international business email compromise (“BEC”) syndicate. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As he admitted today, Ifeanyi Eke played a key role in an international conspiracy that deceived and defrauded dozens of victims of nearly $3 million. Fittingly, Eke has been sentenced to prison and ordered to make restitution to the victims of the conspiracy.” According to the allegations in the Indictment, other court filings, and statements made during court proceedings: Between in or about 2016 and July 2018, EKE and his co-conspirators, including codefendants Cyril Ashu, Joshua Ikejimba, and Chinedu Ironuah, perpetrated a fraudulent BEC scheme through which they deceived dozens of victims, both foreign and domestic, into wiring millions of dollars to bank accounts controlled by the syndicate. The fraud was perpetrated by sending victims “spoofed” emails, which purported to be from counterparties whom the victims knew and trusted, and which contained wiring instructions fraudulently directing the victims to send funds to accounts that were in fact controlled by the defendants and others involved in the scheme. EKE played a broad role in the fraud. As part of the scheme, EKE personally received wire transfers of fraud proceeds from several different victims in bank accounts that he opened and controlled. One of the victims, an intergovernmental organization headquartered in New York, was defrauded into sending $188,815 into EKE’s bank account. After receiving the fraud proceeds, EKE withdrew and transferred them both for his own use and for dissemination to his co-conspirators. In addition to receiving and dissipating victim funds directly, EKE managed and supervised other members of the conspiracy, including by arranging for co-conspirators’ accounts to receive fraud proceeds, receiving and communicating wire transfer information contained in victim emails, and coordinating the acquisition and deposit of checks representing fraud proceeds. In total, EKE is responsible for actual losses to 35 victims totaling approximately $2.7 million. * * * EKE, 34, of Sandy Springs, Georgia, pled guilty to, and was sentenced on, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349. In addition to the prison term, EKE was sentenced to three years of supervised release. EKE was further ordered to forfeit $365,205, and to pay restitution to his victims in the amount of $2,691,908.30. Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI. The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Olga I. Zverovich and Jarrod L. Schaeffer are in charge of the prosecution. Contact James Margolin, Nicholas Biase (212) 637-2600 Updated April 13, 2021 Topic Financial Fraud Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 21-085

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