Give us your tired, your poor, yearning to breathe free, and yearning to rip off Americans....
News Radio 1200 WOAI reports that three Nigerian natives living in Houston, one a U.S. citizen and the other two living here thanks to the hosptitality of the U.S. taxpayer, will be staying a little longer after they were sentenced to prison in a conspiracy to rip off Americans in a series of scams that netted $3.5 million in ill-gotten profit.
The three got between 5 and 8 years in federal prison after being sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas after all three pleaded guilty.
Federal prosecutors say the three pulled off every scam you can imagine. Their schemes included the 'grandson-in-jail' scam targeting elderly victims, fake investment scams, business e-mail compromise scams, stolen identity refund fraud, and romance victim scam.
Interestingly, none of the three Nigerians claimed to be a Nigerian prince.
In addition, the three were ordered to repay $1.6 million dollars to hundreds of victims of their scams. Four other Nigerian nationals have already been sentenced in the scheme.
"The sentencing reflects the commitment of the Department of Justice to destroy the money-laundering networks that facilitate fraud against the most vulnerable Americans, such as the elderly," U.S. Attorney John Bash said.
“These actions will not only bring a sense of justice to the victims in this case, but this significant investigation will also help increase awareness of this type of fraud,” said Shane Folden, Special Agent in Charge, HSI San Antonio. “To potential victims, we encourage you to be vigilant and if you feel like you are being scammed, please contact law enforcement to report the suspected scam before you make a payment.
There are criminals who are always seeking to exploit the vulnerable in our communities for their own personal
gain.”