US Jails Nigerian 19 Years for $4m Romance Scam
- 16 hours ago
- 1 min read
A federal court in the United States has sentenced a 40-year-old Nigerian national, Leslie Mba, to 19 years in prison for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving romance scams and business email compromise.
Mba, a Houston resident, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to make false statements in immigration documents. Authorities said the scheme defrauded American victims of more than $4 million.
Investigators revealed that between April 2018 and December 2023, Mba and his accomplices targeted individuals and small businesses.
The group allegedly gained unauthorised access to business email accounts and redirected legitimate payments to fraudulent bank accounts, while also exploiting romantic relationships online to extract money from victims.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner sentenced him to 228 months in federal prison and ordered his deportation to Nigeria after serving his term.
Prosecutors said the crimes caused severe financial and emotional harm, particularly to elderly victims and small enterprises, and reaffirmed their commitment to tackling transnational fraud.
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