A United States District Court has sentenced a 40-year-old Nigerian, Leslie Chinedu Mba, to 228 months (19 years) in federal prison for his role in a $4 million romance scam and business email compromise (BEC) scheme.
The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge David Hittner after Mba pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to make false statements in immigration documents.
According to the United States Department of Justice, Mba and his co-conspirators operated the fraud scheme between April 2018 and December 2023, targeting unsuspecting victims through romance scams and business email compromise attacks.
Prosecutors said the criminal network initially launched the scheme from outside the United States, gaining unauthorized access to business email accounts and diverting legitimate payments into fraudulent bank accounts controlled by the syndicate.
Victims reportedly believed they were transferring funds to legitimate businesses, unaware that the payments were being redirected to accounts managed by Mba and his associates.
The Justice Department described Mba and others as “money mules” who opened or used bank accounts to receive and move proceeds from the fraud.
In addition to the financial crimes, prosecutors revealed that Mba attempted to secure U.S. permanent residency through multiple sham marriages after his initial immigration application was denied and he was ordered removed from the country.
Authorities said the scheme resulted in a total loss of approximately $4 million.
Mba is expected to face removal proceedings after completing his prison sentence.
Meanwhile, four Houston residents previously pleaded guilty in connection with the case. Grace Morisho, Rodgers Kadikilo, and Kristin Smith were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 to 25 months, while Alexandra Golovko received five years’ probation.
