Nigerian man indicted in US over $300,000 romance scam and business email fraud
A 45-year-old Nigerian man living in Frisco, Texas, Okeoghene Patrick Udugba, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States for allegedly orchestrating a romance scam and business email compromise scheme that defrauded a US government agency of over $300,000. If convicted, Udugba faces up to 30 years in federal prison, followed by supervised release and financial penalties.
The indictment, announced by the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, charges Udugba with money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud. According to prosecutors, the scheme involved multiple co-conspirators who used social media platforms and dating websites to establish fake romantic relationships with victims across several states.
Victims groomed as money mules to cash fraudulent checks
US Attorney Brian Miller stated that Udugba and his co-conspirators groomed victims into becoming unwitting money mules. These victims were manipulated into receiving and cashing fraudulently obtained checks, which were then funneled to the perpetrators. Miller said in a statement: "Udugba and others utilised social media and dating websites to meet and establish purported romantic relationships with persons in multiple states. Those persons were groomed and ultimately used by Udugba and others as money mules to receive and cash fraudulently obtained checks."
The conspiracy also involved a sophisticated business email compromise component targeting the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Investigators alleged that members of the group sent emails from spoofed addresses traced to Nigeria, pretending to be representatives of the FWS. These emails instructed that grant funds belonging to the agency be used to pay fabricated invoices.
Spoofed emails from Nigeria targeted US Fish and Wildlife Service grants
According to Miller, "Members of the conspiracy sent emails from 'spoofed' addresses in Nigeria, claiming to be representatives of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The spoofed emails directed that FWS grant funds be used to pay fabricated invoices, which falsely represented that the money mules were contractors and consultants of FWS who had performed work on grant-eligible projects."
The fake invoices convinced the agency's grant administrator to approve payments worth more than $300,000 before the fraud was discovered. The indictment alleges that the scheme caused a loss of over $300,000 to the government agency.
Presumption of innocence and related cases
Prosecutors emphasized that the charges remain allegations until proven in court. "The indictments and criminal information are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court," the statement noted.
This case follows another recent prosecution of a US-based Nigerian, Ifeanyi Ugwu, who pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business involving more than $5 million in illegally obtained funds. Ugwu, living in Bakersfield, California, faces a possible prison sentence after admitting to running the operation between December 2020 and August 2023.
