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Cybercrime: U.S. Secret Service seizes $860,000 from Nigerian crypto account

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Cybercrime: U.S. Secret Service seizes $860,000 from Nigerian crypto account

The U.S. Secret Service has seized $860,000 from a Nigerian cryptocurrency account after investigations on a money trail indicated the funds were proceeds of a coordinated business email scam, according to court filings obtained by Peoples Gazette.

In accordance with U.S. laws, the U.S. Secret Service has applied for forfeiture in rem of the hundreds of thousands of dollars after tracking and linking the confiscated funds to fraud.

Secret Service Special Agent Jayson Bradshaw filed the forfeiture complaint in rem in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on October 2, 2024. An arrest warrant in rem was issued on October 10 by Judge Claude M. Hilton.

An arrest warrant in rem grants a government agency the authority to seize fraudulent assets including property without waiting for the defendants’ argument.

The Nigerian whose name was withheld for security reasons allegedly intercepted email correspondence between a couple who wanted to purchase a new house and the law firm managing the sale.

The victim referred to as Victim 1 in court filings residing in Reston, Virginia on April 17 transferred $966,500 as closing cost of the house to what he believed was the account number of the law firm conducting the sale.

He had previously been exchanging emails with the firm and did not suspect foul play when he sent the funds for the property in Denver, North Carolina on April 17.

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What the victim did not realise was that his email had been getting intercepted by the suspected Nigerian scammer since April 2, court filings showed. The suspect was communicating with both parties, sometimes acting as the law firm and other times pretending to be the buyers.

“Unbeknownst to VICTIM 1 at the time, the law firm began receiving emails around April 2, 2024 from spoofed email accounts which were similar to VICTIM 1 and his wife’s true email accounts,” stated the motion seeking forfeiture.

Both parties did not suspect anything amiss until April 19 when the couple and their realtor went to the law firm for a scheduled 10:00 a.m. appointment, only to discover the law firm had fixed the meeting for 2:00 p.m.

The attorney in charge of the sale asked the couple when they intended to finalise payment for the property.

Taken aback by the question, the victim responded that they already completed payment two days earlier and sent the funds to a Bank of America account ending in -0822, “per the wiring instructions he received via email on or about April 16, 2024.”

His statement set off alarm bells and he immediately reached out to his bank, Charles Schwab & Company, to report the fraudulent transfer, particularly that money was sent to an unintended account.

Investigations showed how the Nigerian suspect transferred the funds first to another account domiciled in Bank of America before moving them to his crypto account on April 18.

In total “$960,000.00 in fraud proceeds were sent to the CRYPTO ACCOUNT,” court filings stated.

On April 18, the suspect made a crypto transaction of “1.588106 Bitcoin (BTC), valued at $98,276.94 in proceeds to address: bc1qz3ms6tlc2d4lkrp6q6al28tkknyzvaflqt4y72, via transaction ID: b8c5516bd2373553b795c825247c54cbe6787afd16e97b69f5d0beb639ef4df8.”

The transaction incurred a charge of $1,723.

The 1.5 BTC transaction reduced the crypto balance to $860,000 which the Secret Service has already seized and is now seeking its forfeiture to the U.S. government.

A money trail of 1.5. BTC transfer led investigators to Binance address 1LdEvfQGAY4stVWpCo4ynMt1NUVDbY7JZG. Binance KYC (Know Your Customer) checks on the account showed that it belonged to a Nigerian citizen living in Turkey.

“Binance provided “know your customer” information for the above address, which identified a Nigerian national operating in Turkey as the owner of the account,” court filings stated. Records showed the equivalent of $89,999.97 had been withdrawn from the crypto account.

The U.S. Secret Service contends for the forfeiture of the funds in line with Title 18, United States Code that states money obtained from proceeds of unlawful activity be surrendered to the government.

Cybercrime: U.S. Secret Service seizes $860,000 from Nigerian crypto account

 

Peoples Gazette

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Port Harcourt Married Women Use Husbands’ Cars To Visit Lovers, Lady Alleges

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Port Harcourt Married Women Use Husbands’ Cars To Visit Lovers, Lady Alleges

 

A Nigerian lady has stirred controversy on social media after making a sweeping allegation about the alleged infidelity of some married women in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

 

The unidentified woman reportedly made the controversial claim in a viral video, alleging that some married women in the oil-rich city use vehicles provided by their husbands to visit their secret lovers.

 

According to a report by Gistlover dated November 3, 2026, the lady claimed that the alleged practice was particularly common in Port Harcourt, a remark that has since triggered widespread reactions across social media platforms.

 

In the video, she reportedly expressed surprise at what she portrayed as a disturbing pattern of marital betrayal, suggesting that some women allegedly use the comfort and resources provided by their husbands to maintain extramarital relationships.

 

Her remarks have generated mixed reactions among social media users, with some finding the allegation amusing, while others criticised the generalisation, arguing that infidelity is not peculiar to any city or gender.

 

Others questioned the basis of her claim, insisting that allegations involving marital relationships should not be used to stereotype women or residents of an entire city.

 

The controversy has once again sparked conversations about marital trust, fidelity, loyalty and the growing debate surrounding infidelity in modern relationships.

 

However, the woman’s allegation has not been independently verified, and there is no evidence establishing that the alleged conduct is widespread among married women in Port Harcourt.

 

 

Port Harcourt Married Women Use Husbands’ Cars To Visit Lovers, Lady Alleges

 

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Tears In Ebonyi Community As Newlyweds, Groom’s Mother, Seven Others Perish In Crash

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Tears In Ebonyi Community As Newlyweds, Groom’s Mother, Seven Others Perish In Crash

A wedding celebration has turned into a devastating tragedy after a newly married couple, the groom’s mother and seven other people reportedly lost their lives in a fatal road accident while returning from a marriage ceremony in Ebonyi State.

The accident, which reportedly occurred around 9pm last Friday, claimed nine lives, leaving two families and their communities in deep mourning.

The victims included the bride and groom, the groom’s mother, Augustina Okabekwa, as well as other relatives and friends who had reportedly accompanied the family to the marriage ceremony.

According to a report by The Eagle, the victims were returning from Abakaliki, where the marriage ceremony had taken place, when the tragic incident occurred.

A family member of the groom, identified as Nwada Ijeoma, recounted the devastating incident during a visit to the Okabekwa family compound in Amudo Umueze, Iseke, the groom’s hometown.

Ijeoma, who is married and resides in Nnewi, Anambra State, said she rushed to the family compound after receiving news of the tragedy to ascertain what had happened.

Speaking in Igbo, she expressed shock and grief over the incident, describing it as a devastating blow to the family.

She explained that she was initially unaware that members of her family had travelled to Abakaliki on Friday for the marriage ceremony of one of their sons.

According to her, the ceremony reportedly ended late, forcing the wedding party to begin their return journey at night because of the distance involved.

She said information available to the family suggested that the vehicle conveying the victims was involved in a collision with a trailer.

However, she stressed that the exact circumstances surrounding the crash remained unclear, including whether the vehicle rammed into the trailer or the trailer collided with the victims’ vehicle.

Among those reportedly killed was the groom’s mother, Augustina Okabekwa, popularly known as Okwuruoka, who was said to be the president of the Christian Women Organisation (CWO).

Others identified by the family member included Jude Okabekwa, the groom’s brother-in-law, and Okaka, the groom’s younger brother.

She also disclosed that the tragedy wiped out several members of the extended family, including their only son from another household.

According to her account, three of the deceased were from Onitsha, Anambra State, while five others were from the groom’s family compound.

The report, however, did not provide the identities of all the victims or clarify the circumstances surrounding the remaining casualty.

The tragedy has reportedly plunged the Okabekwa family and the wider Iseke community into mourning, with the family struggling to come to terms with the devastating loss.

What was expected to be a joyful occasion marking the beginning of a new chapter for the newly married couple has instead ended in an unimaginable tragedy.

As of the time of the report, further details about the accident, including the identities of all the victims and the official circumstances surrounding the crash, had yet to emerge.

 

Tears In Ebonyi Community As Newlyweds, Groom’s Mother, Seven Others Perish In Crash

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Kogi: Troops Destroy Kidnappers’ Hideout, Recover 1,000 Rounds of Ammunition, Six Motorcycles

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Kogi: Troops Destroy Kidnappers’ Hideout, Recover 1,000 Rounds of Ammunition, Six Motorcycles
Kogi: Troops Destroy Kidnappers’ Hideout, Recover 1,000 Rounds of Ammunition, Six Motorcycles

Troops of the Nigerian Army have destroyed a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Edimogbo Forest, Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi State, recovering 1,000 rounds of ammunition, six motorcycles and other items during an offensive operation.

The operation, according to the Army, followed credible human intelligence indicating that suspected kidnappers were hiding in the forest.

The spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Appolonia Anele, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, saying the troops recovered a substantial cache of ammunition and other materials from the criminal camp.

Anele explained that the suspected criminals opened fire to alert other members of their group after sighting the advancing troops before fleeing into the forest.

She said the soldiers immediately pursued the fleeing suspects deep into the forest, but were unable to establish contact with them.

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“The troops immediately pursued the fleeing criminals deep into the forest, but no contact was made. The troops, however, destroyed the criminal camp, including all supportive structures,” she stated.

According to the Army spokesperson, the recovered items included 1,000 rounds of 7.62mm x 54 ammunition, seven bandoliers, two shovels, a hand pump, a mobile phone, a Glo modem and six motorcycles.

Other items recovered from the hideout included soap, a jerrycan containing petrol, clothing and pairs of shoes.

The Army said troops were still combing the forest and surrounding areas in an effort to track down the fleeing suspects.

The operation forms part of ongoing military efforts to dismantle criminal hideouts, disrupt the activities of suspected kidnappers and improve security across Kogi State.

The recovery of the ammunition and motorcycles is expected to provide further intelligence on the activities and possible movements of the suspected criminal group.

However, the Army did not disclose whether any arrests had been made in connection with the operation as of the time of the announcement.

Kogi: Troops Destroy Kidnappers’ Hideout, Recover 1,000 Rounds of Ammunition, Six Motorcycles

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