The United States Department of Justice has sentenced two Nigerians, Temitope Bashua and Uchechukwu Gideon Eze, to a combined prison term of four years and three months for their involvement in fraud schemes totaling $472,000.
According to official statements from the US DoJ, 29-year-old Bashua pleaded guilty to cyber intrusion, romance fraud, and business email compromise schemes. Between May 2020 and September 2022, he and co-conspirators submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications using victims’ personal information. Bashua received over $290,000 before his arrest and was sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.
Meanwhile, 46-year-old Eze was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud. He orchestrated a business email compromise scheme that defrauded a small business in Clark County, Indiana, of $182,201.80. Eze created a fictitious business account under Blue Horizon Automobile LLC to receive the stolen funds, spending much on personal purchases, including a vehicle. He attempted to re-enter the US from Canada six months later, where he was arrested. In addition to his jail term, Eze was ordered to pay full restitution.
The DoJ highlighted that both convicts engaged in sophisticated schemes exploiting online systems, including impersonating business representatives and misusing sensitive personal data.
These cases underscore the growing threat of cross-border cybercrime and the importance of robust cybersecurity and law enforcement collaboration internationally.
