James Junior Aliyu, a 30-year-old Nigerian national who was living in South Africa at the time of his crimes, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Aliyu was extradited from South Africa to the United States and is the last of three defendants to plead guilty for their involvement in a business email compromise (BEC) scheme. Eight other individuals have previously entered guilty pleas in related cases in the District of Maryland.
The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore.
A federal grand jury indicted Aliyu, Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu on June 24, 2019, charging them with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. All three are Nigerian citizens who lived in South Africa during the period of criminal activity. The indictment was unsealed on July 6, 2022, after their arrests outside the United States. They were subsequently extradited to face charges in federal court.
According to court documents, between February and July 2017, Aliyu worked with others—including co-conspirators based in Maryland—to carry out a BEC scheme. The group gained unauthorized access to email accounts belonging to targeted individuals and businesses. They used “spoofed” emails—messages sent from forged sender addresses—to send false wiring instructions that tricked victims into transferring funds into accounts controlled by the perpetrators, known as “drop accounts.”
During this period, Aliyu and his associates also conspired to launder the proceeds from these fraudulent activities. The group moved funds through various methods such as account transfers, cash withdrawals, cashier’s checks, and checks written to other people or entities to conceal ownership and origin of the assets. The plea agreement states that transactions involving Aliyu intended losses totaling at least $4.16 million; actual losses amounted to at least $1.57 million. Of this amount, Aliyu directly controlled about $1.19 million.
Aliyu has agreed to pay a money judgment of at least $1.19 million and restitution equal to victims’ total losses—at least $2.39 million—as part of his plea agreement. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy charges related to wire fraud and money laundering. Sentencing is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman on November 24 at 10 a.m.
U.S. Attorney Hayes recognized HSI’s Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force for its investigative work and thanked several South African agencies for their assistance: “Ms. Hayes also thanked the South African Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa, and South African Police Service.” Further support came from international partners: “Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) provided significant assistance in securing Aliyu’s extradition from South Africa.” OIA also worked with Canadian authorities: “OIA and the Department of Justice Canada’s International Assistance Group also provided substantial aid in securing the arrest and extradition of both Echefu and Simon-Ebo.” Ms. Hayes also acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy for prosecuting the case.
More information about priorities or resources offered by the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md or https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
