A Nigerian man has been extradited to South Florida from Poland to face charges over defrauding elderly victims of more than $6 million by pretending they were the rightful heirs to a multimillion-dollar inheritance, prosecutors say.
Tochuwku Albert Nnebocha, 43, had his first appearance in Miami federal court Monday on charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud as well as mail fraud and wire fraud.
Seven others have also been charged or convicted in the scheme: Kelly Augustine Jr., Andy Onoh, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, Kingsley Chinedu Chukwu, Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, Princewill Ekene Okoro, and Tochukwu Albert Nnebocha.
The scheme operated between May 2017 and December 2023, according to a federal indictment. Nnebocha and his co-conspirators bought lists of the names and contact information of potential victims, many of whom were over 65 and lived in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, as well as Highlands County.
The defendants, posing either as attorneys in the U.K. or representatives of a Spanish bank, wrote personalized letters to the victims under fake names such as “Gloria Alvez” and “Sofia Gomez,” informing them they were entitled to a multimillion-dollar inheritance, according to the indictment. When the victims responded, the defendants told them they had been “certified as rightful heirs to a deceased individual” and that the millions of dollars were waiting for them in a foreign bank.
Nnebocha and the co-conspirators also sent the victims fake government documents including sworn statements and court orders that falsely confirmed their role as the inheritors of the money, according to the indictment.
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In order to receive the money, the defendants told the victims that they had to apply using their personal information. After they applied, the victims were then informed that they had to pay advance fees such as “delivery fees, taxes, payments for anti-terrorist and money laundering certificates, and payments to avoid questioning from government authorities,” according to the indictment.
Nnebocha and the co-conspirators instructed the victims to send money to “couriers” who were often victims of the scheme themselves but could no longer afford to send any more payments. The defendants told these “couriers” that they would help them “offset the costs” of all of the fees by sending them money, according to the indictment. When the “couriers” received the payments, which were actually checks and money orders from other victims, the defendants told them to deposit the checks and money orders and tape the money into the pages of magazines and books, then ship it to the defendants.
The seven defendants made over $6 million from more than 400 victims throughout South Florida and elsewhere, according to prosecutors. None of the victims received any inheritance funds.
Nnebocha was arrested in Poland in April, where he remained until his extradition to Florida. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Two co-defendants, also from Nigeria, have already pleaded guilty and were sentenced this year, according to prosecutors. Ogbata, who was extradited from Portugal, and Akhimie, who was extradited from the United Kingdom, have both been sentenced to over eight years in prison.
Anyone who is 60 years or older and a victim or financial fraud, or who knows someone who is, should contact 1-833-FRAUD-11.
