A United States federal court sentenced Nigerian national Edikan Adiakpan, a 35‑year‑old Houston resident, to 30 months in prison for his role in a business email fraud scheme that targeted American companies. The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, followed Adiakpan’s guilty plea on May 12 to illegally transmitting proceeds from the scheme.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Adiakpan operated a company called Akama Lifestyle, which he marketed as a luxury‑car service. Prosecutors said that between 2020 and 2022 he used the company to move money received from fraudsters in exchange for a percentage of the proceeds.
The fraud originated from a business‑email‑compromise (BEC) operation that targeted more than ten victims. Fraudsters sent emails that impersonated legitimate suppliers and creditors, tricking businesses into wiring payments to fraudulent bank accounts. One victim, a small utility‑trailer company in Mississippi, transferred $927,080 under the false belief it was paying a legitimate supplier. Portions of those funds were later routed to Adiakpan, who deposited and redeemed cashier’s checks payable to himself and to Akama Lifestyle, involving $359,000 of the Mississippi company’s money.
During the sentencing hearing, a victim‑impact statement described the financial harm caused by the fraud. The court ordered Adiakpan to serve 30 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. The Department of Justice noted that he held temporary legal status in the United States at the time of his arrest.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Houston Field Office and the Bryan Resident Agency, in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek prosecuted the case. A second Nigerian participant, 27‑year‑old Ayobami Omoniyi, was sentenced on March 24 to 32 months in federal prison for his involvement in the same scheme.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
