Nigerian man jailed 12 years for defrauding law firm in US

A United States District Court has sentenced a Nigerian man, Christopher Agbaje, to 142 months’ imprisonment for money laundering and other related cybercrimes.

This was disclosed on the website of the US Attorney’s Office District of North Dakota on September 11, 2024.

The convict was also ordered to pay $188,935.74 in restitution to a North Dakota law firm.

The Nigerian man was sentenced by US District Court Judge Daniel Traynor, after he was found guilty by a federal jury in a four-day trial on May 16, 2024.

According to the press release, Agbaje was guilty and convicted on the charges of money laundering, aiding and abetting wire fraud, and aiding and abetting mail fraud.

In February 2024, Agbaje was extradited from the United Kingdom to North Dakota to face the charges, as announced by US Attorney Mac Schneider.

Evidence presented at his trial between November and December 2020, showed that Agbaje participated with his accomplices in defrauding a law firm in North Dakota of $198,336.68.

“As part of this fraud scheme, individuals falsely purported to be a business owner in a legal dispute with a Bismarck, North Dakota, company and entered into a fictitious attorney-client relationship with this law firm,” the statement read.

The Nigerian and his partners in crime made false statements and promises through email communications, upon which the law firm relied as their determinant.

The statement further said, “Thereafter, the law firm received a parcel containing a fraudulent Citibank check payable to the law firm in the amount of $198,850.00 and deposited this check in the law firm’s bank account.

“Subsequently, at the purported business owner’s request, the law firm sent a $198,336.68 wire transfer to Agbaje’s business partner.

“A short time later, Agbaje directed his business partner to fraudulently initiate a $180,000.00 international wire transfer with the intent to conceal the location, ownership, and control of the law firm’s money. This strong sentence shows that international fraudsters cannot hide from justice,” Schneider said.