U.S. court jails Nigerian man in $4 million conspiracy

A Nigerian national, Leslie Chinedu Mba, 40, has been sentenced to 228 months (19 years) in federal prison for orchestrating a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme that preyed on vulnerable Americans through romance scams and business email compromise.

U.S. District Judge David Hittner handed down the sentence after Mba pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit false statements in immigration documents. He is expected to be deported to Nigeria after serving his term.

Between April 2018 and December 2023, Mba and his co-conspirators—operating both inside and outside the United States—defrauded victims of more than $4 million. The schemes involved hacking into business email accounts to redirect payments and manipulating lonely individuals, particularly senior citizens, through online romance scams.

U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei condemned the crimes, calling romance scams “among the lowest and most despicable forms of fraud because they prey upon the lonely and vulnerable.” FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson added that Mba’s actions “cruelly manipulated trust, callously exploited the fear of loneliness, and left victims both financially devastated and emotionally shattered.”

Court records also revealed that Mba attempted to remain in the U.S. through fraudulent marriages after his initial residency application was denied. His role as a money mule—opening and using bank accounts to funnel stolen funds—was central to the operation.

While Mba received the harshest sentence, four other Houston-based co-conspirators—Grace Morisho (30), Rodgers Kadikilo (30), Kristin Smith (38), and Alexandra Golovko (36)—were given lighter punishments ranging from probation to 25 months in prison.

Mba will remain in custody until his transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility is finalized.