A Nigerian man was sentenced to 97 months in prison on Thursday for his role in an international fraud scheme that swindled elderly U.S. citizens out of millions. Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, 41, was part of a group of fraudsters who sent misleading letters to elderly victims in the U.S., falsely claiming they were entitled to a multimillion-dollar inheritance from a deceased relative.
Court documents reveal that the fraudulent letters, allegedly from a Spanish bank, instructed victims to send money for various fees—including delivery charges, taxes, and other supposed costs—before they could access their inheritance. The victims were tricked into sending money to a complicated network of individuals based in the U.S. who then forwarded the funds to Akhimie and his accomplices. Despite sending large amounts of money, the victims never received any of the promised inheritance funds.
In his guilty plea, Akhimie acknowledged defrauding over $6 million from more than 400 victims, many of whom were elderly and vulnerable. The scheme, which lasted several years, not only robbed victims of their savings but also inflicted significant emotional and financial harm.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jason A. Reding Quiñones, condemned the crime, emphasizing that such schemes “steal not only money but dignity from our seniors.” He reassured victims that his office would continue to hold perpetrators accountable.
The Justice Department commended the international collaboration that led to the prosecution of Akhimie and others implicated in the fraud. Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate emphasized the vital importance of global teamwork in addressing transnational crime, expressing gratitude to law enforcement agencies from the U.S., the U.K., Spain, and Portugal for their support in this case.
Akhimie is the eighth individual to receive a sentence related to this scheme. Earlier this year, six other defendants were also sentenced in connection with the case, including Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, who was extradited from Portugal and sentenced to 97 months for his involvement in the fraud.
