Press Release
Omaha Woman Sentenced to 25 Months & Ordered to Pay Over $337,585 in Restitution to Victims of Catfishing Scheme
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nebraska
United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Julie Okoronkwo, age 48, of Omaha, Nebraska was sentenced on January 8, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Okoronkwo to 25 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After her release from prison, Okoronkwo will be placed on a 2-year term of supervised release. Okoronkwo was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $337,535.00 to six victims of her crimes.
Julie Okoronkwo and her spouse, Edwin Okoronkwo, residing in Nebraska, used “catfishing” schemes to obtain money from victims via the Internet. In doing so, they convinced victims to send money using false online social media personas. In some instances, they claimed to be high-ranking members of the United States military on overseas missions. Through the “catfishing” schemes, victims from all over the country were tricked into sending money through the United States Postal Service (USPS) and other commercial carriers such as FedEx and UPS.
The Okoronkwos used victims’ personal identifying information (PII) obtained from identity theft victims to open bank accounts and other online financial services accounts, including peer-to-peer digital payments platforms (e.g., PayPal and Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App). They directed the victims of the “catfishing” schemes to send money from the victims’ personal peer-to-peer digital payment platform accounts to the peer-to-peer digital payment platforms opened by the Okoronkwos using the names and PII of the identity theft victims. From those false accounts, the Okoronkwos would then transfer money into their personal bank accounts, to bank accounts opened using the names of identity theft victims but controlled by the Okoronkwos, or to cryptocurrency exchange platforms. Some of the money would also then be passed along to recipients overseas via international wire transfers through remittance services.
Julie Okoronkwo contacted “catfishing” victims over the phone to further convince them of the legitimacy of their need for cash, frequently purporting to be a nanny to children of the fictional online personas they’d created, who were often portrayed as members of the United States military on overseas missions. Julie Okoronkwo also obtained from her workplace – a hospital – her victims’ means of identification, including their social security numbers and Nebraska driver’s license information. The means of identification were used by the Okoronkwos in furtherance of their “catfishing” schemes. The aggregate loss to the victims was determined to be between $250,000 to $550,000.
Edwin Okoronkwo’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 29, 2025.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Contact
Lecia Wright - Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney (402) 661-3700
Updated January 23, 2025
Topic
Identity Theft
Component