United States Attorney, Susan T. Lehr announced that a 36-year-old Nigerian man, Edwin Okoronkwo, who was sentenced in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft will be deported after completing his jail term.
United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Okoronkwo to 75 months imprisonment on January 29, 2025.
The sentencing was contained in a press statement released by the US Department of Justice on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
“There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Okoronkwo will be placed on a 3-year term of supervised release and will be deported by immigration authorities,” the press statement read.
Okoronkwo was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $342,535.00 to seven victims as a result of his crimes.
Edwin Okoronkwo, a lawful permanent resident of the United States, and his spouse, Julie Okoronkwo, residing in Nebraska, used “catfishing” schemes to obtain money from victims via the Internet.
In doing so, they convinced victims to send money using false online social media personas. In some instances, they claimed to be high-ranking members of the United States military on overseas missions.
Through the “catfishing” schemes, victims from all over the country were tricked into sending money through the United States Postal Service (USPS) and other commercial carriers such as FedEx and UPS.
The Okoronkwos used victims’ personal identifying information (PII) obtained from identity theft victims to open bank accounts and other online financial services accounts, including peer-to-peer digital payments platforms (e.g., PayPal and Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App).