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Veterans Betrayed: Nigerian Man Behind Explosive Health Scheme Fraud Arrested in America
A 33-year-old Nigerian national, Edikan Adiakpan, has been arrested in the United States over his alleged involvement in a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) and money laundering scheme that reportedly defrauded multiple organizations across eight U.S. states.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Among the victims was a California-based medical research group dedicated to developing treatments for U.S. military veterans.
This development was disclosed in a statement published Thursday on the official website of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The arrest was announced by Nicholas J. Ganjei, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, who noted that Adiakpan is set to make his initial court appearance before Magistrate Judge Peter Bray in Houston.
A federal grand jury had earlier, on June 11, returned a three-count indictment charging Adiakpan with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and operating an unlicensed money transmission business.
According to the DOJ, the accused and his associates executed the scheme in 2021 by sending spoofed emails impersonating legitimate vendors. The fraudulent messages misled victim organizations into sending payments to bank accounts secretly controlled by the conspirators rather than the actual suppliers.
The indictment further alleges that the stolen funds were swiftly laundered through a web of bank accounts before being converted into cashier’s checks, which Adiakpan allegedly cashed while keeping a cut as his “fee.”
The DOJ also referenced Ayobami Omoniyi, a 26-year-old Nigerian who was previously charged in connection to the same scheme. Omoniyi is currently awaiting sentencing before U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen.
If convicted, Adiakpan could face up to 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy and money laundering charges, and an additional five years for operating an unlicensed money transmission business. Each count also carries a potential fine of up to $250,000.
The case was investigated by the FBI Houston Field Office, its Bryan Resident Agency, and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek and Christine Lu.
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