One Nigerian man identified as Nnamdi Marcellus Mgbodile residing in Marietta, Georgia, United States has been arraigned on
a twenty-count charge of bank fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
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He was docked on November 19 before the U.S. Magistrate Judge Janet F. King. A federal grand jury indicted Mgbodile on
November 6, 2019.
Marcellus Mgbodile was docked the same day that Allen Onyeama, Air Peace chairman, was also accused of money laundering
and bank fraud by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia.
One of the fraudsters alleged victims, a woman reportedly lost $6.5million to him via romance scam, while he failed to pull through a Business E-mail Compromise Scam of $350,000.
“Online romance scams and business email compromise frauds have increasingly becomethe method of choice for transnational fraudsters targeting U.S. residents and companies,”said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak, who made the announcement of Mgbodile’sindictment and arraignment on Wednesday in Atlanta.“In this case, a single victim allegedly lost millions. This is a stark reminder that users ofonline dating websites should be aware of such scams and exercise extreme caution if askedfor money by anyone online or over the phone.”
“This investigation and subsequent indictment demonstrates the commitment the SecretService and our partners have in aggressively pursuing those who commit online fraudscams,” said Malcolm D. Wiley, Sr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the United StatesSecret Service, Atlanta Field Office.“This case serves as a reminder to all, particularly during the holiday season, to ensureprotocols related to cyber hygiene are observed.”
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According to the United States Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court, Mgbodile was allegedly
involved in two fraudulent plots, a romance scam that defrauded a Virginia woman out of more than $6.5 million, and a business
email compromise (“BEC”) scam in which Mgbodile and others attempted to defraud a Georgia company of nearly $350,000.