James Junior Aliyu, a Nigerian national, has been sentenced to 90 months in prison in the United States for his role in a $4.1 million wire fraud and money laundering scheme.
Aliyu, who was extradited from South Africa, pleaded guilty to the charges and will forfeit $1.2 million and pay $2.4 million in restitution to victims. He will be deported after completing his prison term.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Aliyu was part of a cybercrime ring involved in phishing, internet scams, and money laundering.
He and his co-conspirators gained unauthorized access to email accounts and sent fake wiring instructions to victims, deceiving them into sending money to bank accounts controlled by the scheme’s perpetrators.
Eight other defendants, US residents, also pleaded guilty in connection with the same conspiracy.
The US Attorney’s Office said Aliyu was directly involved in at least $4,162,211 in wire fraud.
