Miami: A Nigerian national has confessed to orchestrating a transnational inheritance fraud scheme designed to deceive elderly and vulnerable individuals across the United States.
According to United States Department of Justice, Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, aged 41, participated in a fraud network that dispatched tailored letters to elderly U.S. victims over several years. These communications falsely represented the sender as a bank representative in Spain, claiming the recipient was due a multimillion-dollar inheritance from a deceased family member overseas. Akhimie and his associates allegedly deceived victims into believing that in order to claim their inheritance, they needed to remit money for delivery fees, taxes, and other costs to avoid scrutiny from government entities. The fraudsters collected the victims’ money through a network of U.S.-based former victims, who were persuaded to forward the funds to the perpetrators or their associates. None of the victims who sent money received any inheritance. Akhimie admitted to defrauding over $6 million from more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or vulnerable.
The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch remains committed to prosecuting transnational criminals defrauding U.S. consumers, as stated by Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. He highlighted the importance of international collaboration in combating transnational crime and thanked agencies like the Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the National Crime Agency, and the Crown Prosecution Service of the UK for their contributions to this case.
This marks the second indictment in connection with this fraud scheme. Seven co-conspirators from the UK, Spain, and Nigeria have previously been convicted and sentenced. On November 1, 2023, Judge Kathleen M. Williams sentenced Ezennia Peter Neboh, extradited from Spain, to over ten years in prison. Other sentenced individuals include Kennedy Ikponmwosa, Emmanuel Samuel, Jerry Chucks Ozor, and Iheanyichukwu Jonathan Abraham, with prison terms ranging from 82 to 97 months. Amos Prince Okey Ezemma, paroled into the U.S. from Nigeria, was sentenced in July 2024. Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, extradited from Portugal, was sentenced on April 25.
The investigation is conducted by USPIS, HSI, and the Consumer Protection Branch, with prosecution by Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Josh Rothman. The case received vital support from multiple international and domestic agencies.
For victims of financial fraud aged 60 or older, assistance is available through the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11. Managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, the hotline offers personalized support, helping victims report fraud and recover losses. Operating weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET, the service is accessible in multiple languages.