Nigerian 'Big Boy' Pleads Guilty in Multi-Million Dollar Fraud Scheme

A 30-year-old Nigerian man, James Junior Aliyu, has pleaded guilty to his role in a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) and money laundering scheme that defrauded victims of over $6 million. Aliyu, who was residing in South Africa, was the last of three defendants to plead guilty in a case that also involved eight other co-conspirators.

According to his plea agreement, Aliyu and his co-conspirators gained unauthorized access to business and individual email accounts.

 They used "spoofed" emails—forged sender addresses—to send false wiring instructions to victims, tricking them into sending money to bank accounts controlled by the fraudsters, known as "drop accounts." The scheme, which ran from February 2017 to at least July 2017, involved Aliyu directly controlling over $1.19 million of the stolen funds.

Aliyu and his co-conspirators also engaged in money laundering, moving the fraudulently obtained funds through various accounts to hide their illegal origin. He was arrested and extradited from South Africa to the United States to face federal charges. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. He is also required to pay restitution to the victims.

The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The sentencing is scheduled for Monday, November 24. This case is a result of a joint effort between U.S. authorities and law enforcement agencies in South Africa.