Nigerian man sentenced in the U.S. for defrauding attorneys through international fraud scheme

A 50-year-old Nigerian man, Omoyoma Christopher Okoro, was recently sentenced to 100 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson, followed by five years of supervised release.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania issued a statement on Monday, September 23, 2024, announcing that Okoro was also required to pay $22,565,929.18 in restitution.

The statement further revealed that Okoro received his sentence on September 19.

In September 2023, Okoro was found guilty on all counts after a five-day jury trial. He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution, mail fraud affecting a financial institution, and bank fraud.

In addition, Okoro was charged with two counts of wire fraud affecting a financial institution, one count of mail fraud affecting a financial institution, and one count of bank fraud.

According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Okoro, a naturalized U.S. citizen of Nigerian origin, resided in Nigeria before moving to the United States around 2013.

Between 2006 and 2010, Okoro conspired with others to defraud attorneys located in the United States through what became known as the “attorney collection scheme.”

Through this scheme, attorneys in the United States were contacted by a prospective “client” in a foreign country who purported to be in need of legal representation.

The client often claimed to be owed money by someone in the United States, stemming from a business transaction, a settlement from a dispute, or an accident.

Upon responding to the initial inquiry, the attorney would then learn that the other party had consented to settle the matter and was ready to make a payment. Shortly thereafter, the attorney would receive a counterfeit “official check” purportedly issued by a U.S. bank in the mail.

The client instructed the attorney to deposit the check into the law firm’s escrow account, to keep a portion as payment for services, and to wire the remaining balance to a foreign bank account, usually in an East Asian country.

Once the funds were transferred to the foreign bank account, they were immediately withdrawn by a member of the conspiracy, often before the attorney victim realized they had been defrauded. At this point, both the attorney and the attorney’s bank would be left to bear the loss upon discovering that the check was counterfeit.

The evidence at trial showed Okoro communicating with numerous other members of the conspiracy, including individuals responsible for furnishing the financial accounts in East Asia used to receive victim funds, as well as individuals who appeared to be in contact with attorney victims.

On numerous occasions, Okoro was either the sender or recipient of emails confirming that an attorney victim had wired funds to a foreign bank account.

In addition, evidence at trial showed funds flowing back to Okoro from coconspirators located in the area of Toronto, Canada, where several key members of the conspiracy resided.

In total, it is believed that over $23 million in fraudulent proceeds were actually obtained through the attorney collection scheme, and over $80 million in attempted fraud occurred.

Okoro represents the latest defendant to be prosecuted in this district for his role in the attorney collection scheme. Prior defendants include Emmanuel Ekhator and Yvette Mathurin, previously residents of Canada and Nigeria, and Kingsley Osagie of Nigeria.

They also include Henry Okpalefe, previously a resident of Toronto, Canada and Nigeria.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma, Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams, and Shaunik R. Panse, previously a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, prosecuted the case.

This case and other prior cases related to the attorney collection scheme were previously handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christy Fawcett, Kim Douglas Daniel, Chelsea Schinnour, and Paul J. Miovas, Jr.