Nigerian Cybercriminals’ prison sentences in the US have increased in recent months

Story by Eduard Kovacs | SECURITYWEEK

Published 1:35 PM EST, Sunday November 10, 2024 |

A significant number of Nigerian cybercriminals have been sent to prison in recent months in the United States, and some of them received lengthy sentences.

The latest is Babatunde Francis Ayeni, a Nigerian national who had been living in the UK until he was extradited to the US. On Thursday, the Justice Department announced that he received a 10-year prison sentence for a business email compromise (BEC) scheme targeting real estate transactions.

According to authorities, Ayeni was involved in a sophisticated BEC scheme that involved phishing the email credentials of real estate agents and attorneys in the United States.

The man and his co-conspirators monitored compromised email accounts for significant real estate transactions and then instructed the party that was making the payment — by sending them an email from the hacked account — to wire the funds to an account controlled by the fraudsters.

According to the DOJ, more than 400 individuals from the US fell victim, more than half of which were unable to recover the money and lost a total of nearly $20 million.

Two of Ayeni’s accomplices, Feyisayo Ogunsanwo and Yusuf Lasisi, have been identified and charged, but they remain at large.

Ayeni is the second Nigerian to be given a lengthy prison sentence this month over his role in a BEC scheme targeting real estate transactions.

Last week, the Justice Department announced that Kolade Akinwale Ojelade has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for a BEC campaign that resulted in losses totaling $12 million. Ojelade had also been living in the UK before he was extradited to the US.