James Junior Aliyu, a 30-year-old Nigerian man, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in the United States. Aliyu, who was extradited from South Africa, is the final defendant to plead guilty in a massive business email compromise (BEC) scheme that targeted individuals and businesses.
Aliyu, along with co-defendants Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu, was indicted in 2019 and arrested in July 2022. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced the plea, noting that the group’s criminal activities took place from February to July 2017.
Court records show the conspirators hacked email accounts and sent fraudulent wiring instructions to victims from spoofed email addresses. The stolen funds were then moved into “drop accounts” controlled by the fraudsters and laundered through various methods, including cash withdrawals and transfers, to conceal their source.
The scheme led to an intended loss of over $4.1 million, with victims losing at least $1.57 million. Aliyu was directly responsible for controlling nearly $1.2 million of the stolen money.
In his plea agreement, Aliyu must forfeit $1.19 million and pay at least $2.39 million in restitution. He faces a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, with a sentencing hearing set for November 24.
