A U.S. District Court in Sherman, Texas, has sentenced five Nigerian nationals to a combined 160 years in federal prison for running a large-scale fraud scheme.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Texas, the group was part of an international crime network that scammed victims around the world.
The fraud ring carried out online romance scams, business email compromise, investor fraud, and unemployment insurance fraud to steal nearly $17 million from over 100 people, companies, and government agencies.
“The defendants were part of a transnational organized crime syndicate that defrauded victims collectively out of millions of dollars. For some individuals, this was their life savings, and they were unable to financially recover,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock.
The sentencing took place on June 16, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant III.
Damilola Kumapayi was sentenced to 109 months. Sandra Iribhogbe Popnen received 365 months. Edgal Iribhogbe, Chidindu Okeke, and Chiagoziem Okeke were each sentenced to 480 months in federal prison.
Investigators revealed the group laundered the stolen money through various bank accounts, moving funds to co-conspirators and businesses in Africa and Asia.
Law enforcement also confirmed that many of the victims were elderly and were specifically targeted in these scams.
“The collective sentences of nearly 160 years handed down to these defendants are a testament to the unwavering resolve of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and our law enforcement partners,” said Christopher J. Altemus, Jr., IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge.
The case was part of Operation Take Back America, a coordinated effort involving the FBI, IRS-CI, Homeland Security Investigations, and local agencies to stop transnational crime networks.
Article updated 17 minutes ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
