Man convicted of involvement in scheme that defrauded 70 U.S. businesses, including two in Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (Cologne) – A Nigerian man involved in a scheme that defrauded more than 70 U.S. businesses, including two in Nebraska, has been sentenced to three years and nine months in federal prison.

Alex Ogunshakin, 41, was sentenced Thursday for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Under federal sentencing guidelines, there is no possibility of parole. Upon completion of his prison term, Ogunshakin will serve three years of supervised release and faces deportation from the United States.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ogunshakin participated in a business email compromise scheme from January 2015 to September 2016, targeting companies across the country. As part of the operation, co-conspirators used compromised email accounts to send spoofed messages to accounting employees, directing them to authorize and complete bank transfers. The emails were designed to appear as if they were sent by CEOs or other high-ranking executives.

Believing that the transfer requests were legitimate, employees transferred funds to the accounts specified in the fraudulent instructions. Ogunshakin and other co-conspirators allegedly provided bank account information to facilitate the scheme.

Investigators determined that two Nebraska businesses were among the victims in early 2015. In total, the scheme resulted in financial losses of more than $6 million, with fraud attempts exceeding $30 million.

Ogunshakin was arrested in Nigeria in October 2020 and extradited to the United States in September 2023. His accomplice Adewale Akinloye was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2019. Three other accomplices remain at large and extradition proceedings continue. for the fifth.

The FBI conducted the investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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