A Nigerian national, James Junior Aliyu, was sentenced on Mar. 23 to 90 months in federal prison for his involvement in a large-scale wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy targeting American victims.
The case highlights the ongoing threat of business email compromise schemes, which can result in significant financial losses for individuals and businesses. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, Aliyu must also repay $2,389,130 to those affected by the scheme.
Aliyu pleaded guilty in August 2025 to conspiracy charges alongside co-conspirators Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu. All three are Nigerian citizens who lived in South Africa during the time of their crimes. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman handed down the sentence after Aliyu was extradited from South Africa to face prosecution.
According to court documents, from February through at least July 2017, Aliyu and others gained unauthorized access to targeted email accounts belonging to individuals and businesses. They sent fraudulent wiring instructions from forged email addresses (known as "spoofed" emails) with the goal of tricking victims into transferring funds into accounts controlled by the perpetrators—referred to as "drop accounts." The group then laundered these funds through transfers, cash withdrawals, cashier’s checks, and payments made out to other entities or individuals.
Prosecutors said that while Aliyu and his associates attempted to defraud victims out of more than $10 million overall, actual losses totaled over $2 million.
U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended Homeland Security Investigations’ Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force and the U.S. Secret Service for their roles in investigating this case: “We are grateful for our international partners including authorities in South Africa and Canada who assisted with arrests and extraditions.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy prosecuted the case.
Further information about reporting fraud is available at justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
