A Nigerian national was charged in court documents unsealed today for his role as the alleged ringleader of an international advance-fee scheme that allegedly involved false promises of investment funding by individuals who impersonated U.S. bank officials in person and over the internet to victims around the world, who were told they had to make certain payments before they could supposedly receive their funding. Proceeds of the scheme were allegedly laundered through U.S. bank accounts and diverted back to the scheme’s perpetrators in Nigeria.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick of the Southern District of Texas, Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Robert Smolich of the U.S. Department of State Office of Inspector General made the announcement.

Osondu Victor Igwilo, 49, of Lagos, Nigeria, was charged in a complaint filed in the Southern District of Texas in December 2016 and unsealed today. The complaint charges Igwilo with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft. Igwilo remains a fugitive.

According To Federal Bureau Of Investigation(FBI)

From about November 2014 to December 2016, Osondu Victor Igwilo was allegedly the leader of a criminal network that perpetrated an advance-fee scheme around the world, and laundered the proceeds through U.S.-based bank accounts.

The scheme involved promising victims investment funding, supposedly being offered by a commercial bank, and supposedly sponsored by the U.S. Government, in exchange of paying various advance fees.

Using fake email accounts and stolen identities of bank employees and U.S. government officials, Igwilo and his co-conspirators found victims over the Internet, and allegedly deceived them into believing the investment opportunities were authentic.

To further boost victims' belief in the legitimacy of the investment, Igwilo allegedly recruited U.S. citizens to impersonate bank officials during in-person meetings with the victims.

Igwilo perpetrated approximately a 100 million dollar fraud scheme defrauding multiple U.S. financial institutions. Igwilo furthered his crime by targeting international victims that would be vulnerable to his criminal scheme.

On December 21, 2016, a criminal complaint was filed in the United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, Houston, Texas, charging Igwilo with wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.