By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Two Nigerian international scammers who created a ‘Fraud Bible’ to carry out large-scale scams targeting the U.S. government and its citizens have been arrested in the United States.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation apprehended the duo for developing the ‘Fraud Bible’ as part of a scheme that defrauded $50 million from Americans through a nationwide COVID-19 benefits scam.
A four-count criminal indictment, unsealed on Thursday by Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew Podolsky, charged Nosakhare Nobore and Solomon Aluko, both residents of New Jersey, with participating in a criminal network that fraudulently obtained checks and laundered the proceeds across multiple U.S. cities.
“We allege that the defendants stole tens of millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief and other checks, and even used a ‘Fraud Bible’ containing instructions for committing fraud,” said Mr Podolsky. “This Office will not tolerate the exploitation of programs designed to support the public in times of crisis, and we and our law enforcement partners will hold those responsible to full account.”
The indictment reviewed by Peoples Gazette alleges that the duo, along with four others—Jorge Gonzalez, Leonard Ujkic, Nicholas Pappas, and Shan Anand—plotted to steal $80 million from the U.S. government, banks, and individuals through a scheme that spanned four years, from 2021 to 2025.
To facilitate their operation, the suspects created a Telegram group called “2021 Fraud Bible,” where they openly discussed their illicit activities and shared fraudulent methods for defrauding Americans, according to the indictment.
Officials stated that the defendants specialized in identity theft, using stolen personal information to open fraudulent bank accounts. One of the suspects, a bank teller at a major U.S. financial institution, allegedly helped tailor these accounts to support their scheme.
The bank teller provided the group with a means to deposit counterfeit or fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury checks. These checks were linked to false and illegitimate filings with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in connection with the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) and Qualified Sick Leave Wages (QSLW) credit.
“Many of the checks were funds provided by the government for COVID-19 relief that the defendants stole before depositing into bank accounts opened using sham businesses or stolen or fake identities,” U.S. officials stated.
Messrs. Nobore and Aluko, along with others, attempted to steal up to $80 million but ultimately managed to obtain $50 million over four years. After depositing the fraudulent checks, they either withdrew the funds in cash or transferred them to bank accounts under their control.
Each faces a potential prison sentence of 30 years for conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, 20 years for conspiracy to commit money laundering, 10 years for conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, and a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.