ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A United States-based Nigerian, Edikan Adiakpan, has pleaded guilty to operating an illegal money transmission business connected to a sophisticated email fraud scheme that defrauded victims of over $927,000.
The 34-year-old Houston resident admitted before a U.S. court that he used a company under his control, Akama Lifestyle, to move fraudulent proceeds generated through business email compromise scams carried out against multiple victims between 2020 and 2022.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney John G. E. Marck, Adiakpan knowingly transferred illicit funds on behalf of fraudsters and retained a percentage as commission for facilitating the transactions.
Investigators disclosed that the criminal network targeted companies and individuals through spoofed emails designed to appear as legitimate messages from suppliers and creditors.
The fake emails deceived victims into redirecting payments to bank accounts controlled by the fraud syndicate instead of genuine business partners.
Authorities revealed that one victim alone transferred $927,080 into accounts linked to the operation before portions of the money were allegedly moved through Adiakpan.
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Court documents further showed that the Nigerian suspect personally redeemed a cashier’s cheque worth $60,000 tied directly to the fraudulent scheme.
The case highlights the growing international crackdown on cyber-enabled financial crimes and business email compromise operations, which United States law enforcement agencies have repeatedly linked to transnational fraud networks.
Adiakpan remains in custody pending sentencing after entering the guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen.
The court fixed September 15 for sentencing, where he faces up to five years imprisonment and a possible fine of $250,000.
Another Nigerian national, Ayobami Omoniyi, had earlier been sentenced on March 24 to 32 months in federal prison for his role in the same fraud network.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in collaboration with IRS Criminal Investigation officials, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek is prosecuting the matter.
The development adds to increasing scrutiny of cybercrime-related activities involving foreign-based fraud syndicates, especially business email compromise schemes that continue to cost global victims millions of dollars annually.