U.S. jury finds Nigerian guilty of hacking

A jury in Atlanta, Georgia United States has found a Nigerian guilty on federal charges related to hacking universities.

Prosecutors said in a news release Monday that 34-year-old Olayinka Olaniyi and co-defendant 29-year-old Damilola Solomon Ibiwoye ran several phishing scams targeting employees at U.S. colleges and universities, including Georgia Tech and the University of Virginia.

Prosecutors say they obtained employee logins and passwords and used them to steal payroll deposits and to file fraudulent tax returns.

Olaniyi was convicted last week of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, computer fraud and aggravated identity theft. He is to be sentenced Oct. 22.

Ibiwoye, who’s also from Nigeria, pleaded guilty to similar charges. He was sentenced to serve three years and three months in prison.