Amos Prince Okey Ezemma, 50, was a member of a group that sent personalized letters to elderly victims in the United States, according to court documents.
The letters fraudulently claimed that the sender was a Spanish bank representative and that the receiver of the letter was entitled “to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left for the recipient by a family member who had died years before in Portugal,” according to court records.
The victims were instructed that they needed to send money for delivery fees and taxes along with other payments before they could receive the purported inheritance money, according to the DOJ.
Victims sent money to the fraudsters through a “complex web” of former victims, according to the DOJ, with the former victims being convinced by the co-conspirators to receive money from new victims and forward the fraud proceeds to others.
“Targeting the elderly for pure financial gain is beyond shameful, it’s morally reprehensible,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Arizona Special Agent in Charge Fransisco B. Burrola. “Protecting such a vulnerable population is not just the responsibility of family members but also law enforcement agencies like HSI and our partners. Together, we are a force multiplier committed to apprehending those who scam our seniors. Let these lengthy sentences serve as reminders that HSI will not tolerate criminals who are motivated by greed.”
Mr. Ezemma’s five co-defendants also received lengthy prison sentences for their roles in the scheme—with sentences of 82 months; 87 months; 90 months; 87 months; and 128 months in prison.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams ordered Mr. Ezemma and the five co-defendants to pay more than $6 million in restitution.
“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch will continue to pursue, prosecute and bring to justice transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers, wherever they are located,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the DOJ’s Civil Division. “This case is testament to the critical role of international collaboration in tackling transnational crime.”
The investigation and efforts to prosecute the fraudulent group involved various law enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad, with the U.S. Postal Service Inspection Service, the DOJ’s Consumer Protection Branch as well as its Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, and Europol assisting in the large-scale effort.
