A 35-year-old Nigerian man, Lotenna Chisom Umeadi, has pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud after being extradited from Germany to the United States. The announcement was made on Thursday, March 20, by U.S. Attorney John A.
Sarcone III and Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Umeadi admitted to purchasing a webpage from a computer hacker, enabling him to illegally obtain email passwords. He then used these credentials to access the email accounts of employees at a Sri Lankan produce export company. Posing as the exporter, Umeadi sent fraudulent emails to a produce importer in Plattsburgh, New York, instructing payments to be made to bank accounts in the United Kingdom under his control.
As a result, the importer transferred a total of $158,400 in two transactions in 2016. Umeadi was arrested on September 1, 2024, upon arriving in Germany from Nigeria and was subsequently extradited to the United States. His sentencing is scheduled for July 21, 2025, where he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
After serving his sentence, he will be subject to removal from the United States. The case is being investigated by HSI, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer leading the prosecution, supported by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs.
Source : https://www.lindaikejisblog.com
