Esther Salifu
The U.S. Department of Justice, has sentenced Edwin Okoronkwo and his wife, Julie Okoronkwo for using stolen identities to disguise themselves as high-ranking members of the U.S. military
They were convincing victims to send them money through postal services and online platforms .
Julie was sentenced to 25 months in prison for her role in the scheme.
The statement read, “Edwin Okoronkwo, a citizen of Nigeria and a lawful permanent resident of the United States, and his spouse, Julie Okoronkwo, residing in Nebraska, used “catfishing” schemes to obtain money from victims via the Internet. In doing so, they convinced victims to send money using false online social media personas.
“A tragedy for the victims” is how U.S. District Judge Brian C. Buescher described the crimes committed by Edwin Okoronkwo, a Nigerian man who was sentenced to 75 months in prison for defrauding Americans through a catfishing scheme .Okoronkwo, 36, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The court ordered Edwin to pay restitution of $342,535.00 to seven victims and to serve a three-year term of supervised release after his prison term. Additionally, he will be deported by immigration authorities upon completion of his sentence .
