A United States federal court has sentenced a Nigerian national, Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, to more than eight years in prison for his role in a sophisticated transnational inheritance fraud that swindled over $6 million from unsuspecting victims, many of them elderly.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the 41-year-old was handed a 97-month sentence on September 11 after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. Court documents revealed that Akhimie and his accomplices posed as bank officials in Spain, sending fraudulent letters to victims in the U.S. The letters falsely claimed that recipients were entitled to multimillion-dollar inheritances from deceased relatives overseas.
To access the supposed funds, victims were instructed to pay upfront fees disguised as taxes, delivery charges, and administrative costs. The syndicate further warned that failure to comply could attract “government scrutiny.” Once collected, the funds were funneled through a complex web of intermediaries, including former victims who were manipulated into acting as money couriers for the fraudsters.
The U.S. Justice Department said more than 400 individuals fell victim to the elaborate scheme, with Akhimie admitting his role in defrauding them of over $6 million. “Victims who sent money never received any purported inheritance funds,” the prosecutors noted. Many of the victims were elderly, leaving them financially and emotionally devastated.
U.S. Attorney Jason Quiñones condemned the scheme as a betrayal of trust, stressing that it robbed seniors not just of their savings but also of their dignity. Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate highlighted the importance of international cooperation in bringing Akhimie and his co-conspirators to justice, noting contributions from the UK’s National Crime Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service, Europol, and authorities in Spain and Portugal.
Law enforcement officials, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), led the probe in the United States. Bladismir Rojo, Acting Inspector in Charge, reiterated their commitment to protecting Americans from cross-border fraud, while HSI’s Acting Special Agent Ray Rede described the targeting of vulnerable populations as “a betrayal of humanity.”
Akhimie is the eighth defendant sentenced in the case, which has spanned several years and multiple jurisdictions. In April, another Nigerian, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, extradited from Portugal, was also sentenced to 97 months in prison by District Court Judge Roy Altman. Several other accomplices have received varying jail terms in related proceedings before U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams.
The Justice Department emphasized that the case underscores the growing threat of transnational fraud networks and the necessity of cross-border collaboration. Officials vowed to continue pursuing criminals who exploit vulnerable communities, no matter where they are located.
