Chicago City Wire

An investigation by law enforcement has led to federal prison sentences for two Nigerian nationals residing in the Chicago suburbs. The individuals were involved in online inheritance scams and other fraudulent activities.

Anthony Emeka Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu used aliases to communicate with victims across the United States. They convinced these victims that they had received substantial inheritances, requiring them to send money to associates of the defendants to claim it. Besides the inheritance scam, they also executed an online romance scam by engaging with victims through social media and dating websites, gaining their trust under the guise of a romantic relationship, and persuading them to transfer money to a predetermined recipient. Additionally, Ibekie and Aniukwu conducted a "business email compromise" scam targeting corporate email accounts.

These fraud schemes were exposed through a covert law enforcement operation, resulting in victim losses totaling at least $3.5 million.

Earlier this year, a federal jury found Ibekie, 59, from Oswego, Illinois, guilty on all 14 counts including wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank, and passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced him to 20 years in federal prison on Thursday.

Aniukwu, 50, from Romeoville, Illinois, had previously pleaded guilty last year to charges of wire fraud and money laundering. On November 8th of this year, Judge Seeger sentenced him to ten years in prison.

A third defendant involved in the case is Jennifer Gosha, 52, a U.S. citizen from Oak Park, Illinois. She pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent. Her sentencing by Judge Seeger is scheduled for December 18th.

The sentencings of Aniukwu and Ibekie were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office; Sean Fitzgerald; Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago; and Ruth Mendonça; Inspector-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Chicago. Valuable assistance was provided by the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paige A. Nutini and Megan DeMarco represent the government.