Isaiah Okere, a 42-year-old Nigerian man, has pleaded guilty to charges of internet fraud that defrauded over 15 Americans and organizations out of more than $1 million.
Okere appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman in New York on Tuesday, admitting his role in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, revealed that Okere collaborated with members of the transnational criminal group, Black Axe, to carry out a series of romance scams, lottery frauds, and business email compromise schemes targeting vulnerable individuals.
The frauds primarily affected elderly and isolated victims, some of whom lost their entire life savings.
Okere was arrested in South Africa in December 2021 and extradited to the U.S. on August 23, 2024. He now faces a potential five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to “one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.”
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated, “Isaiah Okere and his co-conspirators preyed on elderly and vulnerable victims, some of whom lost their entire life savings. This office’s global reach ensures that he will be held accountable in the United States for his crimes.”
The scam, which began in 2015 and continued until November 2019, resulted in significant emotional and financial damage to its victims.
Some victims were tricked into believing they were in romantic relationships with Okere and his associates, leading them to drain their retirement savings and even borrow from family and friends. One victim reported becoming suicidal after losing her savings to the scam.
In addition to romance schemes, Okere and his accomplices used fraudulent lottery schemes and business email compromise (BEC) fraud to steal from individuals and companies.
“Many victims experienced severe emotional harm, including a woman who reported becoming suicidal after losing her retirement savings to this scheme.
“He used the phony lottery scheme to inform certain victims that they had won a cash prize but first needed to make certain payments to access the funds.
“Similarly, using the BEC fraud scheme to induce a corporate victim located in Manhattan to release company funds under fraudulent pretences by impersonating the founder of the company.
“Okere used accounts under false identities to communicate directly with his US victims. He also controlled multiple foreign bank accounts in South Africa that received funds from victims targeted by these schemes,” the US stated.
Okere’s accomplice, Timy Hakim, was sentenced to two years in prison in 2023 and ordered to pay over $1.4 million in restitution.