‘How Nigerian Okezie Ogbata defrauded elderly U.S citizens of $6 million’

A 36-year-old Nigerian man, Okezie Ogbata has pleaded guilty to defrauding more than 400 elderly and vulnerable victims of over $6 million before a Southern District court in Florida, United States.

Ogbata and his co-conspirators told a series of lies to victims “to send money for delivery fees, taxes and other payments to avoid questioning from government authorities, according to the Department of Justice,

According to the Department, Ogbata and his accomplices sent letters falsely claiming that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left for the recipient by a family member who had died overseas years before.”

In pleading guilty, Ogbata admitted to defrauding over $6m from more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or otherwise vulnerable

Head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, General Brian Boynton, in reaction said, “This case is a testament to the critical role of international collaboration in tackling transnational crime.”

Ogbata will be sentenced by US District Judge Roy Altman on April 14, 2025 with with the possibility of a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.