A Nigerian citizen, Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, was sentenced on September 11 to 97 months in prison for his involvement in an international inheritance fraud scheme targeting elderly Americans. According to court documents, Akhimie, 41, participated in a group that sent fraudulent letters to elderly victims in the United States over several years. The letters falsely claimed the recipients were entitled to multimillion-dollar inheritances from deceased relatives abroad and instructed them to send money for fees and taxes before receiving any funds.
Akhimie and his associates used former victims in the U.S. to collect and forward money through a complex network. Victims who complied never received any inheritance. In his guilty plea, Akhimie admitted to defrauding more than $6 million from over 400 victims, many of whom were elderly or otherwise vulnerable.
“Schemes like this steal not only money but dignity from our seniors,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida (SDFL). “Our Office stands with victims, ensures their voices are heard, and will relentlessly pursue those who prey on them.”
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division stated: “The Justice Department will continue to pursue, prosecute, and bring to justice transnational criminals responsible for defrauding U.S. consumers, wherever they are located. This case is a testament to the critical role of international collaboration in tackling transnational crime. I want to thank our U.S. law enforcement partners, as well as those who assisted across the globe, including the National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service of the United Kingdom, for their outstanding contributions to this case.”
Acting Postal Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Miami Division commented: “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to protecting American consumers from being defrauded by Transnational Criminal Organizations... We have long partnered with the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch to deliver justice and we will continue to do so.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Ray Rede for HSI Arizona added: “Defrauding the elderly and other vulnerable populations is a betrayal of not just trust but of humanity... HSI and our law enforcement partners commitment to investigate criminals who steal money sends a clear message: justice will prevail, and those who exploit others for personal gain will be held accountable. We thank all our partners who assisted in this investigation.”
Akhimie is one of eight defendants sentenced in connection with this scheme. Six additional defendants were previously sentenced by District Court Judge Kathleen M. Williams in a related case. Another co-conspirator extradited from Portugal was also given a 97-month sentence earlier this year after being described by District Court Judge Roy K. Altman as having committed “an incredibly serious crime” that warranted a substantial sentence due to its impact on vulnerable members of society.
Investigations were conducted by USPIS and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from multiple agencies including Europol and authorities from the UK, Spain, Portugal, as well as support from various branches within the U.S., such as the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
Prosecution was led by Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Josh Rothman from the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch.
Resources are available for elder fraud victims through several channels including:
- The National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 provides support Monday through Friday.
- Additional information about efforts against elder fraud can be found at https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice.
- Complaints can be filed with the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or via phone at 877-FTC-HELP.
- The Office for Victims of Crime offers further resources at https://ovc.gov/.
Related court documents can be accessed through www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20140.
