Nigerian-American Fraud Convict Faces New Charges Over U.S. Citizenship Application

A Nigerian-born U.S. citizen, already serving prison time for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme, may now face additional prison years after being indicted for allegedly lying during his naturalization process.

The individual, identified as Omoyoma Christopher Okoro, is accused of committing naturalization fraud by providing false information on his 2018 U.S. citizenship application. A federal grand jury recently returned a three-count indictment against him, alleging that he concealed his involvement in criminal activity.

Okoro is currently serving a 100-month sentence following his 2024 conviction on multiple federal charges including conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud, alongside two counts of wire fraud, and one count each of mail and bank fraud.

The charges stem from an elaborate scam that ran between 2008 and 2011, in which victims primarily law firms were tricked into transferring large sums of money through fraudulent settlement claims.

The U.S. Department of Justice noted that Okoro falsely responded “No” when asked if he had ever committed a crime for which he had not been arrested, despite his role in the fraud scheme preceding his citizenship application.

He was also ordered to pay over $22 million in restitution as part of his sentencing.

Should the court find him guilty of the new naturalization-related offenses, Okoro could face up to 30 additional years in prison and the revocation of his American citizenship.

Federal prosecutors emphasized that the charges underline the serious consequences of dishonesty in the naturalization process, particularly when linked to prior criminal behavior.