A United States federal court has sentenced a Nigerian man, Tochukwu Albert Nnebocha, to more than eight years in prison for his role in a long-running international inheritance fraud scheme that targeted hundreds of elderly and vulnerable Americans, U.S. authorities have announced.
In a statement released on Friday, February 6, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Nnebocha, 44, was sentenced to 97 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. The scheme, which operated for more than seven years, resulted in losses exceeding $6 million to victims across the United States.
According to court documents, Nnebocha and several co-conspirators ran a sophisticated transnational fraud operation designed to exploit elderly individuals through false promises of large inheritances. The conspirators sent hundreds of thousands of personalized letters to potential victims, many of whom were senior citizens living alone or with limited support.
The letters typically claimed that the sender was a representative of a bank based in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to a multimillion-dollar inheritance allegedly left behind by a deceased relative with no immediate heirs. Victims were told the matter was confidential and urged to act quickly to secure their supposed inheritance.
Once contact was established, victims were instructed to pay a series of fees before the inheritance could be released. These payments were described as necessary for delivery costs, taxes, legal processing, or administrative charges. In reality, no inheritance existed, and the funds sent by victims were distributed among members of the fraud network.
The DOJ stated that more than 400 victims across the United States were defrauded during the course of the conspiracy. Many of the victims suffered significant financial hardship, with some losing large portions of their life savings as a result of the scam.
Nnebocha was arrested in Poland in April 2025 following international cooperation between U.S. and European law enforcement agencies. He was extradited to the United States in September 2025 to face charges. Two months later, in November 2025, he entered a guilty plea to federal fraud-related offenses.
At sentencing, the court ordered Nnebocha to serve 97 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay restitution totaling more than $6.8 million, reflecting both the documented losses to victims and additional financial penalties imposed by the court.
The Department of Justice described the case as part of a broader effort to dismantle international fraud networks that prey on vulnerable populations. Officials noted that this was the second case brought in connection with the same inheritance fraud scheme. Previously, eight co-conspirators from the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, and Nigeria were convicted and sentenced in related prosecutions.
U.S. authorities emphasized that transnational fraud schemes remain a significant threat, particularly as criminals increasingly use international mail systems, digital communications, and complex financial channels to evade detection. The DOJ reiterated its commitment to working with foreign partners to identify, arrest, and prosecute individuals involved in cross-border financial crimes.
The investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations, with support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Legal Attaché office in Poland. Additional assistance was provided by INTERPOL, Polish law enforcement authorities, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, and the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Joshua D. Rothman of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
U.S. officials say the sentencing sends a strong message that individuals who exploit trust and target vulnerable victims—regardless of where they are based—will be held accountable under U.S. law. They have also urged members of the public, particularly older adults and their families, to remain vigilant against unsolicited inheritance offers and similar fraud schemes.
Source: Africa Publicity
