HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a native of Nigeria who became a naturalized U.S. Citizen, Cyprian Ngbadi, age 63, of New York City, was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner on charges that he conspired to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering between 2007 and 2009. Ngbadi was also ordered to pay $435,664 restitution to 194 victims.
According to United States Attorney David J. Freed, Ngbadi and six codefendants perpetrated a scheme to defraud dozens of individuals, some of whom were senior citizens residing in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, out of hundreds of thousands of dollars on a variety of mass marketing fraud schemes, including but not limited to bogus sweepstakes scams, loan schemes, employment opportunity scams, person in need schemes, and internet purchase scams.
Between 2007 and 2009 Ngbadi owned and/or operated two MoneyGram and Western Union outlets, “Rockaway Business Center" and “Neighborhood Express Payment," in the greater Queens, New York area. Mass marketing fraudsters used Ngbadi to convert fraud induced money transfers from victims into cash and to distribute the proceeds to other co-conspirators, some of whom resided in Canada and Nigeria. For his role in the conspiracy Ngbadi kept approximately 10% of the proceeds.
Western Union and MoneyGram determined in 2008 that Ngbadi, who was then doing business as Rockaway Business Center, was complicit in consumer fraud and money laundering activities and, as a result, both companies terminated their money transfer agreements with him. Undeterred, with the unwitting assistance of a straw party, Ngbadi opened new Western Union and MoneyGram outlets under the name of “Neighborhood Express Payment" in New York. Thereafter, Ngbadi continued to cash out and launder additional money transfers sent by consumer fraud victims until Western Union and MoneyGram finally terminated Neighborhood Express Payment’s operations in 2009.
Ngbadi was arrested on February 8, 2019, upon his arrival in New York City on a flight from Nigeria where Ngbadi has been residing for the past five years.
The case was investigated by the Harrisburg Office of the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Kim Douglas Daniel prosecuted the case.
The United States Attorney and United States Postal Inspectors remind all citizens that they should never make an advance payment of any kind on the promise of a sweepstakes prize, loan or grant.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, and could include a term of supervisory release following imprisonment, and a fine.
Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the Judge is also required to consider and weigh a number of factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public and provide for the defendant's educational, vocational and medical needs. For these reasons, the statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
