Anthony Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, and Samuel Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in scams that defrauded victims of at least $3.5 million. Ibekie received a 20-year sentence, while Aniukwu was sentenced to 10 years. The two men, along with a third accomplice, Jennifer Gosha, 52, of Oak Park, conducted various fraudulent schemes.
In one scam, they told victims they had received a significant inheritance and needed to provide money upfront to claim it. Another scheme involved building trust with victims through social media and dating websites, then convincing them to send money after establishing fake romantic relationships. Ibekie and Aniukwu also targeted corporate email accounts in a “business email compromise” scam.
The total amount stolen through these various schemes was at least $3.5 million.
Online fraudsters sentenced for $3.5M scams
Ibekie was found guilty on all 14 charges against him, including wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank, and passport fraud.
Aniukwu pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and money laundering. Gosha, the third person involved, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec.
18. The crimes were uncovered through an undercover law enforcement investigation. The successful prosecution highlights the severity of online fraud and the efforts of authorities to combat such crimes.
