Man sentenced for over $5.6M international advance-fee scheme

HOUSTON - An Indiana man has been ordered to federal prison for his role in an international advance-fee scheme orchestrated from Nigeria that defrauded victims worldwide of over $5.6 million, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

The jury deliberated for 45 minutes before convicting Tochukwu Nwosisi, 52, Indianapolis, Indiana, following a six-day trial March 4 of conspiracy to commit money laundering and concealment money laundering.

U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett has now ordered Nwosisi to serve a total of 36 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. He must also pay $905,945 in restitution. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Nwosisi was a knowing, willing participant in a criminal scheme with very real impacts to victims around the world, stating that “today is the day for accountability.”  

From at least February 2015 to January 2018, Nwosisi participated in an advance-fee scheme involving fraudulent offers of investment funding and inheritances to victims around the world. Nwosisi’s Nigeria-based co-conspirators induced victims to make large wire payments to bank accounts in the United States on the false belief that payment of the purported advance fees was necessary before the bank would release their funding or inheritance. Nwosisi served as a money launderer who accepted victim funds into his U.S.-based bank accounts and directed the proceeds to the ringleaders in Nigeria.

The FBI and Department of State – Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Latham prosecuted the case along with Trial Attorney Philip Trout of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.