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Franklin Ifeanyichukwu Okwonna, a Nigerian national, has been given a five-year and three-month prison sentence by a federal judge in Virginia. This decision marks the culmination of a complex legal process, with Okwonna now set to serve a considerable prison term.
In addition to his prison sentence, Franklin Ifeanyichukwu Okwonna has been ordered to pay nearly $5 million in restitution to victims of a widespread computer hacking and business email compromise scheme. The scheme, which Okwonna played a role in, resulted in losses exceeding $5 million for multiple individuals and businesses in the US and abroad.
According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, Franklin Ifeanyichukwu Okwonna, aged 34, was sentenced on Tuesday, September 3. This confirmation brings closure to the case, which has now reached its conclusion.
Okwonna, aged 34, pleaded guilty on May 20 to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, acknowledging his role in the scheme.
In a related development, the Department of Justice announced that Ebuka Raphael Umeti, a 35-year-old Nigerian national and co-defendant of Okwonna, received a 10-year prison sentence on August 27. Umeti was also ordered to pay nearly $5 million in restitution.
Umeti was convicted by a federal jury on June 13 of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to cause intentional damage to a protected computer, and intentional damage to a protected computer.
“According to court documents and evidence presented at Umeti’s trial, between February 2016 and July 2021, Umeti, Okwonna, and their co-conspirators caused millions of dollars in unauthorised wire transfers by sending victim businesses phishing emails.
“These emails falsely appeared as though they originated from trusted sources, such as a bank or a vendor.
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“After the victim opened an attachment, their computers would be infected with malicious software, or “malware,” that allowed the defendants and their co-conspirators to gain unauthorised access to the victim’s computer systems and email accounts.
“The defendants and their co-conspirators then exploited that access to obtain sensitive information, which they used to deceive individuals at the victim companies into executing wire transfers to accounts specified by the co-conspirators.
The Department of Justice stated that the defendants and their accomplices, through their fraudulent plan, inflicted or sought to inflict financial damages exceeding $5 million on the affected businesses.
