Nigerian National Gets 19-Year Jail Term in US Over $4m Romance, Email Fraud Scheme
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A Nigerian national based in the United States has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar romance and business email fraud operation that targeted individuals and companies.
The 40-year-old, Leslie Chinedu Mba, was handNigerian National Gets 19-Year Jail Term in US Over $4m Romance, Email Fraud Schemeed a 228-month sentence by a federal judge in Houston after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy related to false statements in immigration documents. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Court filings showed that between 2018 and 2023, Mba and several accomplices carried out online romance scams and business email compromise schemes that defrauded victims of more than $4 million. Investigators said the operation involved gaining unauthorised access to legitimate corporate email accounts and diverting payments into fraudulent bank accounts controlled by members of the network.
Prosecutors described Mba as part of a group that functioned as “money mules,” receiving and transferring illicit funds through bank accounts opened or managed in the Houston area. Many of the victims, including elderly individuals and small business owners, were said to have suffered significant financial losses.
The scheme also included emotionally manipulative romance fraud tactics in which victims were deceived into believing they were in genuine online relationships before being persuaded to send large sums of money.
In addition to the fraud charges, authorities disclosed that Mba attempted to secure permanent residency in the United States through multiple sham marriages after an earlier immigration application was denied and a removal order had been issued against him.
The investigation was led by the Houston field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which described romance fraud as particularly harmful because it preys on vulnerable people seeking companionship while inflicting both financial and emotional damage.
Four other Houston-based defendants previously pleaded guilty in connection with the case. They received prison terms ranging from just over a year to slightly more than two years, while one co-defendant was sentenced to probation. Upon completing his prison term, Mba is expected to face deportation proceedings.
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