The United States Department of Justice has indicted dozens of people for their involvement in a large commercial email scam and money laundering operation.
More than a dozen people were arrested during the raids carried out in the Los Angeles area, but a total of 80 defendants were involved in this operation.
The recently revealed 145-page indictment revealed that 80 people had been named and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and bank fraud, as well as aggravated identity theft and money laundering.
Although there have been arrests in the United States, the majority of those suspected of being involved in this program are in Nigeria. At present, it is not yet clear whether Nigerian citizens will be extradited to the United States, but both countries have signed a treaty that would allow extradition.
Fight against online fraud.
According to US attorney Nicola Hanna, the US attorney explained how this indictment was intended to send a message to the scammers:
"Today, we have taken an important step toward disrupting criminal networks that use schemes, romance scams, and other frauds for victims. This indictment sends a message that we will identify the perpetrators, no matter where they live, and stop the flow of illegally obtained profits."
Prosecutors said Valentine Iro and Chukwudi Christogunus Igbokwe were charged with running the operation. The defendants allegedly committed fraud against more than a dozen victims, which would have generated millions of dollars in stolen funds over the course of several months.
According to prosecutors, the transaction leaders acted as fraudulent bank account brokers, claiming that they had responded to bank inquiries and then laundered money obtained from their victims. Many of the scammers' bank accounts also contained more than € 40 million in stolen funds.
The case will still have to be tried before anything is decided, but the indictment is a step in the right direction when it comes to showing cybercriminals that they can be held responsible for their crimes online, wherever they reside.
Via TechCrunch