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US authorities have filed lawsuits against 80 people, most of them Nigerians, as part of a massive smuggling and money-laundering operation that has brought millions of dollars to internet victims.
US authorities on Thursday unveiled an indictment of 252 chiefs in a grand jury, accusing them of participating in an operation that reported at least $ 46 million to job-seekers. fraudulent on the Internet.
Seventeen people were arrested and detained in Los Angeles and other cities in the United States.
The survey began in 2016 with only one bank account and one victim, said Paul Delacourt, deputy director of FBIThe Los Angeles office.
The suspects have resorted to various scams to target the elderly, people seeking a romantic relationship and small and large businesses, to convince them to send money online.
"We think this is one of the most important cases of its kind in the history of the United States," said American lawyer Nick Hanna at a conference Press. "We are taking a big step forward to disrupt these criminal networks."
The indictment alleges that at least $ 6 million of fraudulently obtained funds were transferred via a money laundering network run by two Nigerians – Valentine Iro, 33, and Chukwudi Christogunus Igbokwe, 38 years old.
The couple were among those arrested.
& # 39; Extremely depressed & # 39;
One of the victims, identified as being only "F.K." in court documents, would have been "extremely depressed and angry about these losses," said the complaint filed by the federal government.
"She started crying while discussing how these losses affected her."
FK, a Japanese, has started an online relationship with a fraudster named Terry Garcia, claiming to be stationed in Syria, via an international social network for digital correspondents.
The two men were communicating by e-mail and using Google to translate their English into Japanese.
Garcia told him that he had found a bag of diamonds in Syria a month after their relationship and started presenting it to his associates, starting with a representative of the Red Cross who told him that Garcia had been hurt but handed him the box.
In total, she made 35 to 40 payments, receiving up to 10 to 15 emails a day enjoining her to send money to accounts located in the United States, Turkey and the United Kingdom. United through the intermediary of many alleged partners of Garcia.
At one point she was even threatened with arrest if she did not make the payments.
The relationship ended when FK lost $ 200,000 and was on the brink of bankruptcy. She had borrowed money from her sister, ex-husband and friends to help Garcia in her fraudulent project.
All accused are facing charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to launder money and aggravated identity theft, while some are charged new offenses.
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