Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Noel Chimezuru Agoha, age 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, today to 40 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to a series of fraud schemes with losses of more than $1.5 million. Judge Hollander also ordered Agoha to pay restitution of $1 million.
The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge James C. Harris of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Special Agent in Charge Karen L. Brown Cleveland of the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service; and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.
According to his plea agreement, between February 2015 and November 2018, Agoha conspired with others, including co-defendants Sessieu Oulai and Kelechi Ntibunka, to execute a business email compromise (“BEC”) scam.
As part of the scheme, “drop accounts” were opened with financial institutions and controlled by the Agoha and his co-conspirators, in order to receive money from victims of criminal fraud schemes, including the BEC scam, and launder fraud proceeds. Specifically, as detailed in the plea agreement, members of the fraud conspiracy used false and fraudulent e-mails to deceive individuals and companies who were engaged in financial transactions and/or ongoing business relationships with other individuals or entities by impersonating clients, persons in positions of authority, and representatives of companies with whom the victims had ongoing business. Through these false and fraudulent e-mails, the conspirators induced the victims to send money via electronic transfer or deposit into bank accounts controlled by Agoha and other conspirators. In this way, the Defendant and other conspirators intercepted payments intended for others. Agoha, Oulai, Ntibunka, and other conspirators also monitored drop account activity (deposits, transfers, and balances), relayed information, and provided instruction about transactions to co-conspirators via text messages. In total, the defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly received, or attempted to receive, more than $1.1 million in proceeds from BEC scams. Agoha personally obtained approximately $111,242 as a result of the BEC scheme to which he is pleading guilty.
Agoha also joined a fraud conspiracy that conducted dating or romance scams targeting individuals looking for romantic partners or friendships on dating websites and other social media platforms. Specifically, members of the fraud conspiracy created profiles using fake names, locations, images, and personas in order to initiate and cultivate relationships with prospective victims under false pretenses. Once a relationship with a victim was initiated, conspirators attempted to convince or induce the victim to provide money through electronic transfer or deposit into bank accounts controlled by the conspiracy, and/or items of property through interstate delivery or international shipment. Victims were sometimes induced to conduct transactions at the direction of the conspirators, such as transfers in and out of particular bank accounts.
Agoha used business bank accounts he controlled in Maryland to receive and launder proceeds of dating scams. Proceeds of the fraud that were deposited into Agoha’s accounts were withdrawn and spent through various purchases and payments. Agoha and his co-conspirators accrued more than $1million in dating scam proceeds.
After pleading guilty to their roles in the fraud scheme, Sessieu Ange Oulai, age 37, of Parkville, Maryland, was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison and Kelechi Arthur Ntibunka, age 35, of Essex, Maryland, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison. Judge Hollander also ordered that Oulai and Btibunka pay restitution of $300,000.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised HSI’s Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Darryl Tarver and Paul A. Riley, who are prosecuting the case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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