A series of complicated financial scams otherwise known as fraud have been linked by the FBI to an organized crime ring that started as a neighborly organization.
It started with some complaint about clever check fraud scams that milked a Georgia law firm out of nearly $100,000. The money was traced to a bank account in Tampa, Florida but later vanished to other overseas accounts which ignited the local FBI agents interest.
The officers then followed up with an investigation which lasted for about six years,ensnared 13 defendants and unveiled a complex international fraud scheme which was responsible for loses in $10 million.
This investigation reached a bottle neck last month where a man who helped in the orchestrating of the fraud scheme appeared in a Tampa courtroom and was sentenced to 15 years in the federal prison. The conspirators “sit in internet cafes in Nigeria and conduct fraud online”, said by one FBI Special Agent Delvin Williams, who was the head of the investigations.
This started as a fraternal organization in Nigerian universities in the 1970s which later evolved into an organized crime group. The group is responsible for loss of millions of dollars all around the world through a variety of intricate cons.
An example of this is the popular “Romance Scam”, where conspirators pose as suitors on some dating applications and sites. Following their well scripted process, gradually charm their victims. The main aim is to lure victims to a fake investment opportunity, convincing them to withdraw their savings and wire it into a bank account in the United State.
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Some other scams are targeted at companies with fake cashier checks for fake real estate transactions. Some work executed through email spoofing and hacking. The Tampa case began as a tip from one law firm situated in Columbus, GA. The firm lost about $96,000 through a scam where someone posed as the business owner seeking payment of debt from another company. Part payment was made in the device of a cashier’s check made out to the firm.
A lawyer was later ordered to wire the funds to a bank of America account in Tampa. Just only after the transfer has been made did the lawyer learn that the cashier’s check was a sham.
FBI Agents discovered that the bank account which the funds was wired to belonged to a co-worker of a Tampa man, Muhammad Naji. Naji eventually Incorporated with FBI agents. He explained that he worked for a man from Canada which he identified as “Melvin”.
Melvin is Ike Amadi. From his home in Toronto, Canada, he organized a network of people who can be described by the court as “Money Mules”. Their task was to open bank accounts, often in the names of shell companies, that would store the fraud money as deposits. As soon as the money arrives in the accounts, the mules would send it overseas before the theft is discovered. The mules receives 10-20% of the stolen money. Amadi also got a cut.
Naji also helped in identifying his cohorts. Priscilla Ellis, a Texas woman who also helped generate high-quality counterfeits of checks and other documents. After a pronouncement of guilt in the Federal court, sh made headlines after she had tried to those who testified against her killed. Her prison release is centuries away.
Amadi Ike was later arrested in Canada in 2015. He fought extradition to the united states but later agreed to be sent to Tampa. He later plead guilty to the conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in July. Before his judgement in October, a memo filed by his Lawyer, Victor Martinez, wrote that Amadi gave his ill-gotten gains to family and friends in need and convinced himself that his victims were already millionaires so they could be afford the loss.