The United States Federal court has convicted a 25-year-old Nigerian man, Wiseman Oputa, on charges of wire fraud and internet scams. He reportedly set up a number of bank accounts with bogus passports over a year, in which he managed to steal at least $500,000 through wire fraud and Internet scams.
According to Sahara Reporters, Oputa pleaded guilty to opening bank accounts in the area surrounding Houston, using counterfeit passports.
His sentencing is scheduled for July 6 and he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a potential maximum fine of $250,000. READ ALSO: Lady writes open letter to ‘yahoo’ boys (SEE) The full statement by US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas says in part: Beginning Jan. 1, 2016, until Jan. 25, 2017, Oputa used counterfeit passports to open bank accounts in the greater Houston area. The passports contained photographs of Oputa but had different names and identification information. He then worked with others to lure victims into sending money into these bank accounts. These funds were obtained through a variety of internet scams, including business email compromise, romance schemes and unauthorized intrusions into company email accounts.
Checks or wire transfers were then sent from the company’s accounts payable to accounts Oputa or others controlled. Oputa would then use the counterfeit passports to retrieve the fraudulently obtained funds.
