Obinwanne Okeke ‘Invictus Obi’ sentenced to 10-year jail term in US for $11m fraud

Nigerian entrepreneur and Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 honoree Obinwanne Okeke also called ‘Invictus Obi’ has been sentenced to a 10-year jail term for computer and wire fraud in a Florida court.

The celebrated entrepreneur was on Tuesday found guilty of causing approximately $11 million in known losses to his victims between 2015 and 2019.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to the crimes in June.

According to Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, in the United States said, “Through subterfuge and impersonation, Obinwanne Okeke engaged in a multi-year global business email and computer hacking scheme that caused a staggering $11 million in losses to his victims.

He added that, “Today’s sentence further demonstrates EDVA’s and FBI’s worldwide reach in vigorously pursuing justice on behalf of American victims and others and holding international cybercriminals accountable, no matter where they commit their crimes.”

Mr. Okeke, the founder of Invictus Group, has a degree in International Studies and Forensic Criminology and Masters of International Relations and Counter-Terrorism Studies from Monash University in Australia, according to his official profile.

He was named on the Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 For 2016 and was featured on the magazine’s June 2016 cover. A year later, CNBCA named Okeke as a finalist for Young Business Leader of the Year (West Africa).

As part of the scheme, 33-year old Okeke and other conspirators engaged in an email compromise scheme targeting Unatrac Holding Limited, the export sales office for Caterpillar heavy industrial and farm equipment. In April 2018, a Unatrac executive fell prey to a phishing email that allowed conspirators to capture login credentials.

The conspirators sent fraudulent wire transfer requests and attached fake invoices. Okeke participated in the effort to victimize Unatrac through fraudulent wire transfers totaling nearly $11 million, which was transferred overseas.

Additionally, Okeke engaged in other forms of cyber-fraud, including sending phishing emails to capture email credentials, creating fraudulent web pages, and causing other losses to numerous victims.

According to the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, Brian Dugan. “This sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to working with our partners at the Department of Justice and our foreign counterparts to locate cyber criminals across the globe and bring them to the United States to be held accountable.”