Amidat AbdulFarai
A United States federal court has sentenced a Nigerian, Edikan Adiakpan, to 30 months in prison for laundering proceeds from a business email compromise scheme that defrauded American companies of substantial sums of money.
Adiakpan, 35, a Houston resident, was also sentenced to three years of supervised release after serving his prison term, according to a statement by the United States Department of Justice.
The department said the defendant pleaded guilty on May 12 to illegally transmitting proceeds from the email fraud scheme.
Prosecutors alleged that Adiakpan used his company, Akama Lifestyle, which he advertised as a luxury car service, to receive and transfer money generated by fraudsters between 2020 and 2022.
The scheme reportedly targeted more than 10 victims, with fraudsters impersonating legitimate suppliers and creditors through emails to trick businesses into transferring payments into fraudulent bank accounts.
One of the victims, a small utility trailer company in Mississippi, reportedly lost $927,080 after being deceived into believing it was paying a legitimate supplier.
According to the Department of Justice, portions of the stolen funds were subsequently transferred to Adiakpan in exchange for a percentage of the proceeds.
Investigators said Adiakpan deposited and redeemed several cashier’s cheques made payable to himself and his company, with the transactions involving $359,000 belonging to the Mississippi-based business.
A victim impact statement detailing the financial consequences of the fraud was presented during the sentencing hearing.
The department also disclosed that another Nigerian, Ayobami Omoniyi, 27, was involved in the scheme and was sentenced on March 24 to 32 months in federal prison for his role.
Adiakpan reportedly had temporary legal status in the United States when he was arrested.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Houston Field Office and Bryan Resident Agency, alongside the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division.
The sentencing underscores the growing enforcement efforts by US authorities against business email compromise fraud, a form of cybercrime in which criminals impersonate trusted business contacts to divert legitimate payments into accounts they control.
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