Two US-Based Nigerians Get 189 Months Combined in Prison for $2.4m Email Phishing Fraud Targeting US Businesses
Two Nigerians living in the United States have been sentenced to a combined 189 months, about 15 years and nine months, in federal prison for their roles in an international cyber intrusion scheme that defrauded businesses of more than $2.4 million. The US-based Nigerians jailed are Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu and Harafat Mogaji, who were sentenced on September 25, 2026.
The sentences were announced by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. Odimegwu, 25, received 111 months in prison, or nine years and three months, and was ordered to pay $366,617.59 in restitution. Mogaji, 26, received 78 months, or six years and six months, and was ordered to pay $995,680.45. So the widely used “15 years” figure is the two sentences added together, not a term given to each man. Both were taken into custody after sentencing and will each serve three years of supervised release after their prison terms.
Court documents and evidence presented at sentencing show that both men were residents of Delaware and members of the US Air Force when they carried out the scheme with other conspirators. Prosecutors said the group spent nearly two years running email spamming and phishing campaigns aimed at businesses across the United States. The campaigns were designed to steal the usernames and passwords of employees’ email accounts.
Once the credentials had been obtained, the group used the compromised accounts to help carry out fraudulent transactions. Authorities said the conspirators diverted more than $1.68 million in a wire transfer sent by a victim in Iowa City, Iowa, to a bank account in Chicago. They also diverted more than $720,000 sent by a victim in Ohio. In total, the scheme cost businesses more than $2.4 million.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The involvement of the military investigators reflects the fact that both defendants were serving airmen at the time of the offences.
The case is another entry in a long list of prosecutions in the United States involving Nigerian nationals in online fraud. Recent examples include sentences for romance scams, inheritance fraud and tax-refund schemes. American authorities regularly say that such cases are pursued through cooperation between federal agencies, banks and, sometimes, foreign law enforcement. It is worth stressing that these cases involve individuals and criminal networks, not the wider Nigerian community, most of whom have no connection to such crimes.
Business email compromise and phishing remain among the most costly forms of cybercrime for companies. Security experts advise firms to use multi-factor authentication, train staff to spot suspicious emails and verify payment instructions by phone or another separate channel before sending large transfers. Companies that suspect they have been targeted are encouraged to contact their bank immediately, since quick action can sometimes help recover funds.
Restitution orders such as those imposed here are meant to compensate victims, although recovering the full amount from convicted defendants is often difficult.
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