Three Individuals Sentenced For Participating In An International Mail And Wire Fraud Conspiracy

Press Release

<_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."><_w3a_listitem listvalue="GRAND RAPIDS" datavalue="GRAND RAPIDS"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="MARQUETTE" datavalue="MARQUETTE"> GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark A. Totten today announced that three individuals were sentenced for participating in an international mail and wire fraud scheme originating in Nigeria and frequently targeting elderly individuals. The defendants pleaded guilty in July 2024.

"Financial fraud is not a 'faceless' crime - and today's sentencings help secure a measure of justice for the victims of this international fraud scheme," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. "Some of the victims lost their retirement savings, took loans against their homes, or suffered other financial distress because of the defendants' lies. The defendants used modern technology, including the internet and social media platforms - something we all rely upon every day to communicate and carry out legitimate tasks in our daily lives - to prey on elderly and vulnerable victims. My office will continue to vigorously pursue justice for the victims of financial fraud."

• Fatai Okunola, 38, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was sentenced to 121 months' imprisonment for his role in the fraud conspiracy and ordered to pay restitution of $731,879.16; he was additionally sentenced to 60 months' imprisonment for making false statements when seeking naturalization as a U.S. Citizen and 120 months' imprisonment for committing money laundering with the proceeds from the fraud conspiracy, those sentences running concurrently with the sentence for his participation in the conspiracy. The court also ordered him to report to immigration authorities for deportation following his sentence.
• Oluwaseyi Adeola, 34, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced to 34 months' imprisonment for his role in the fraud conspiracy and ordered to pay restitution of $409,968.93.
• Ijeoma Adeola, 36, also of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced to three years' probation for misprision of a felony (the failure to report the commission of a felony to appropriate authorities and taking an affirmative step to assist in the concealment of the crime) and ordered to pay restitution of $48,570.
• Cory McDougal, 33, of Romeoville, Illinois, who also pled guilty to the fraud conspiracy, will be sentenced on a later date to be determined by the court.

According to court records, the defendants conspired with individuals primarily in Nigeria to defraud individuals in the United States, many that were elderly or particularly vulnerable, through a variety of fraud schemes using interstate wire transmissions or the mail system. The conspirators in Nigeria created false online personas to develop relationships with their victims over the internet, through social media, by text messages or by telephone. These relationships centered around romantic interests, offers to buy or sell goods or services, apartment rentals, or offers to make loans or provide grant funding, among other schemes. The conspirators sent pictures or provided other information to the victims to make their schemes appear genuine. When the conspirators used telephone calls, they used voice-over-internet-protocol numbers to make it appear as if the calls were originating within the United States near the victims. After developing the relationships, the conspirators asked for money for a variety of reasons related to the scheme.

After the victims agreed, the conspirators directed the victims to send the money to the defendants, who opened numerous bank accounts to receive the victims' money. On some occasions, the defendants received the victims' money in post office boxes maintained under alias names or through payments made payable to "shell" businesses that the defendants, including Ijeoma Adeola, created to receive fraud proceeds. The victims sent the money to the defendants through the mail, bank-to-bank transfers, or through peer-to-peer money transfer services like Zelle or PayPal. After the defendants received the money in their accounts, they transferred the money to each other, to the conspirators overseas, and to their own accounts in Nigeria. Fatai Okunola used some of the fraud proceeds he received to assist others in purchasing automobiles in the United States and then exporting them to Nigeria. According to the indictment, defendants received more than $2 million dollars in their accounts from the scheme between 2017 and 2022.

"Our agents will continue the important work of dismantling interstate and international fraud schemes that would seek to rob Americans of their hard-earned money," said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Angie M. Salazar. "These cases are too often a reminder for us to check in on elderly family members and members of our community to ensure that they are not taken advantage of by sophisticated schemes."

"Today's sentencing of these defendants underscores our dedication to safeguarding vulnerable victims from those who attempt to exploit them through various fraud schemes," said Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Detroit Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. "This case's outcome showcases the outstanding efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and our law enforcement partners in dismantling this international fraud scheme and delivering justice for those affected."

Anyone who suspects an ongoing internet crime is encouraged to file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov), the FBI's central hub for reporting cybercrime. Those reports often provide invaluable information to help the FBI and its law enforcement partners investigate and prosecute fraud schemes like the one charged in this case.

Federal law enforcement provides a number of tips on how to protect yourself from similar internet or email scams, including:

• Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, e-mails, and mailings.
• Never give or send any sensitive information (including your date of birth, account numbers, or passwords), credit or debit card numbers, or money to unverified people or businesses.
• Resist the pressure to act quickly. Scammers create a false sense of urgency to lure people to immediate action.
• If you recognize a scam attempt, immediately end all communication with the perpetrator.

The Homeland Security Investigations, and United States Postal Inspection Service, Grand Rapids offices, are investigating this case. The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety also provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Stella prosecuted the case.

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Updated January 15, 2025