A United States federal jury has convicted 25 individuals for their roles in a sophisticated email fraud network that stole approximately $215 million from more than 1,000 victims across 47 American states and 19 countries.
The convictions, announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, follow a four-day trial that concluded on April 24, 2026, at a federal court in Toledo, Ohio, presided over by District Judge James R. Knepp II.
Prosecutors described the operation as a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme, in which members of Nigeria-linked criminal organisations hacked into email accounts belonging to individuals, companies, and other organisations. Once inside, they monitored communications over extended periods to learn the victims’ financial routines and business relationships before sending fraudulent payment requests carefully engineered to appear legitimate.
Victims across multiple countries, from the United States and Canada to Australia, Germany, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, unknowingly wired funds into accounts controlled by members of the network. In one documented case, a single business transferred $2.7 million to a shell company bank account run by a member of the conspiracy.
After the four-day trial, jurors found Oluwafemi Michael Awoyemi, 40, Aruan Drake, 37, and Peter Reed, 35, guilty of wire fraud conspiracy. Awoyemi and Drake were additionally convicted on money laundering conspiracy charges. The remaining 22 defendants had previously pleaded guilty to related offences.
Those convicted include Nigerian nationals, naturalised United States citizens of Nigerian origin, and a Ghanaian national, Emmanuel Essilfie, identified in court records as a participant in the scheme.
Stolen proceeds were funnelled through a web of fraudulently registered bank accounts, shell companies, and a Chicago-area money services business, the New Dolton Currency Exchange, whose owner Lon Goodman is currently awaiting trial. Investigators say roughly $50 million of the stolen funds passed through that business alone, with Goodman allegedly accepting suspicious transactions even after banks flagged the cheques as fraudulent.
Law enforcement seized approximately $1.2 million in cash, cryptocurrency, and cashier’s cheques. Luxury items confiscated included a Richard Mille Felipe Massa watch valued at $140,000, an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak worth $30,000, and a Patek Philippe Nautilus timepiece valued at $45,000. A residential property of more than 4,000 square feet in Lawrenceville, Georgia was also forfeited.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cleveland Division led the investigation, supported by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Border Patrol Sandusky Bay Intelligence Unit. Sentencing dates for all 25 defendants remain to be announced.
