Nigerian man faces 20-year imprisonment in US over fraud, after pleading guilty

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Nigerian man faces 20-year imprisonment in US over fraud, after pleading guilty

A 57-year-old Nigerian man, Oluseun Omole, has reportedly pleaded guilty to fraud in the United States (US).

According to a press release by Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Omole pleaded guilty before U.S. Judge Katharine H. Parker on charges borderingconspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The press release reads : “Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that OLUSEUN MARTINS OMOLE, aka “Seun Omole,” pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his participation in a widespread scheme to defraud thousands of victims in the United States and elsewhere of thousands of consumer electronics and other goods totalling more than $12 million. Omole pled guilty before U.S. Judge Katharine H. Parker.

According to the allegations contained in the indictment and complaint, the plea agreement, and other public filings and statements made in court:

From at least in or about February 2018 through at least in or about March 2023, Omole participated in a criminal enterprise based in Nigeria (the “Enterprise”), which orchestrated various scams to defraud thousands of victims in the United States and elsewhere of more than $12 million in consumer electronics, including smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, and tablets, among other items. The scams perpetrated by the members of the Enterprise included (i) romance scams, in which Enterprise members sent electronic communications to victims feigning romantic intentions, gained their trust and affection, and took advantage of that goodwill to induce victims into sending consumer electronics and other money or property to Omole; (ii) online marketplace scams, in which Enterprise members sent electronic communications to victims feigning interest in buying consumer electronics, falsely represented to the victim that the items had been paid for, and instructed the victim to send the consumer electronics to Omole; and (iii) employment scams, in which Enterprise members posted phony jobs online and informed unwitting victims that they were hired before instructing victims to send electronics to OMOLE under the guise that those electronics were needed for the job (together, the “Fraudulent Electronics Scams”).

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During the relevant time period, Omole owned and operated a business corporation which claimed to be a distributor, re-seller, and supplier of satellite communications equipment. In reality, however, Tobylink served as a vehicle through which OMOLE received thousands of fraudulently obtained goods from victims of the Enterprise before repackaging and shipping those items to various co-conspirators located in Nigeria. During his participation in the conspiracy, OMOLE received and sent more than $12 million in consumer electronics and other items to other members of the Enterprise, in exchange for the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars in fees that OMOLE charged other Enterprise members.

OMOLE, 57, of Sugar Land, Texas, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. As part of his plea agreement, OMOLE agreed to pay restitution in an amount to be ordered by the Court and to forfeit an amount of U.S. currency to be ordered by the Court, as well as various consumer electronics and other goods seized by law enforcement.

The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. OMOLE’s sentencing is scheduled for July 30, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman.

Mr. Williams praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Williams also thanked Homeland Security Investigations for their assistance with the investigation.

The prosecution of this case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry J. Fang is in charge of the prosecution.”

Source: United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York.