Nigeria - 419 Coalition 2008 News on Nigerian Scam / 419 
Operations

2 MAY 2008
As reported by a concerned Nigerian:

The largest Nigerian bank and the ONLY one currently 
allowed by the US Feds to have an office in the US was 
assessed civil money penalty by the United States of 
America Department of Treasury Financial Crimes 
Enforcement Network, (FinCEN) without the bank 
admitting or denying the determinations by FinCEN. The 
civil penalty assessed amounted to 3.4% of the bank's 
assets. The Bank, United Bank of Africa UBA) has a 
Branch office in New York and it was only this Branch 
that was involved in the FinCen action. The total 
amount assessed was 1.785 Billion Naira. 

On the face of it, i.e. without the benefit of UBA's 
explanation for the apparent flagrant failures in the 
bank's system for dealing with Money Laundering 
issues, it would appear that the bank might have 
knowingly or unknowingly aided 419 fraudsters and the 
ever present corrupt Nigerian political leaders in 
defrauding the Nigerian people. 

If all the issues below seem to have escaped the 
Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 
Nigeria it must be doing a great job indeed. What a 
job! Surely UBA is not alone in this and only got the 
attention because it is the only Nigerian Bank 
operating in the US. So, how big is this type of 
problem for a country that wants to deal head on with 
corruption? Have EFCC of recent ever sanctioned a 
Nigerian Financial Institution for aiding corruption 
and money laundering despite the attention these have 
attracted in the media in Nigeria, with all these high 
profile corruption/money laundering cases? 
Ghana-must-go bags are not involved in these cases 
because they are illicit funds sent through Nigerian 
and Foreign Banks mostly via wire transfers. Despite 
these, EFCC appears not to be dealing with those that 
ensures these folks loot Nigerian treasury. Is Nigeria 
really serious about combating corruption but no 
sanction or penalty imposed for those that knowingly 
or unknowingly aid such and provide the conduit? 

It was determined that the failure by the UBA's US 
Branch to establish and implement an effective 
anti-money laundering program resulted in extensive 
violations in its failure to report suspicious 
transactions of approximately $197,000,000.  A Federal 
Branch of a foreign bank in the US is required to 
implement an anti-money laundering program that 
conforms to the rules of the office of the Comptroller 
of the Currency. 

It was determined by FinCEN that there were serious 
failures in the Bank’s internal controls. Some of 
which were highlighted and they include the following: 

1.The Branch failed repeatedly over the course of 
multiple examinations to implement internal controls 
that are reasonably designed to assess the risks of 
potential money laundering or other suspicious 
activity and ensure the detection and timely reporting 
of suspicious transactions. 

2.The Branch failed to implement effective procedures 
for conducting due diligence on the Branch’s 
customers. 

3.Failure by the Branch to have effective procedures 
to obtain critical information to establish risk 
profiles including obtaining information on customer’s 
business activities, source of funds, financial 
capacity etc. 

4.As of June 2006, the Branch did not have procedures 
for identifying Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and 
any procedures for managing the risks associated with 
such individuals. This is despite the fact that the 
Branch processed transactions for high level PEPs, 
including senior political figures in Nigeria. 

5.The Branch failed to implement effective procedures 
to manage the risks associated with   
(a) foreign correspondent bank accounts, 
(b)     embassy and foreign consulate accounts 
(c)     foreign based cash intensive businesses 
(d)     Money service Businesses 
(e)     Import and Export Companies 
(f)     Jewelry and Precious Metals dealers 
(g)     Foreign Exchange houses 
(h)     Off shore corporations 

6.The policies and procedures for investigating 
suspicious activities were far too general and 
according to FinCEN did not provide adequate 
instructions to Branch personnel. 

7.The Branch lacked effective procedures to detect and 
respond to suspicious activities involving wire 
transfers and dollar pouch transactions from other 
foreign banks. 

8.There were no written procedures specifying the 
responsibilities of compliance and operations 
personnel. 

9.Operations personnel had the authority to approve 
suspicious transactions without compliance involvement 
and approval. 

10.The Branch compliance personnel had the authority 
to REMOVE PERSONS FROM THE WATCH LIST without approval 
from appropriate level of management at the Branch. 

11.Independent testing of the Branch was not effective 
to ensure compliance with the US Bank Secrecy Act. 
(BSA). 

12.The Branch failed to report transactions that it 
either knows, suspects or has reason to suspect are 
suspicious. Usually a suspicious transaction is the 
one that could involve funds derived from illegal 
activities, or is "conducted to disguise" the illegal 
source or that has no apparent business purpose and 
the Branch has no reasonable explanation for the said 
transaction. Usually these types of transactions has 
to be reported no later than 20days after obtaining 
facts but under no circumstance would the filing be 
done later than 60 days after the initial detection. 

Despite this: 
(a) The UBA Branch failed to timely file 140 required 
suspicious activities reports between 2005 and 
February 1, 2008. 
(b) 29 reports were filed at least six (6) months late 
(c) 5 reports were filed over 3 years late including 
approximately $120 million of suspected proceeds of 
corruption in Nigeria. 
(d) It also failed to timely file reports on proceeds 
of advance fee frauds also known as 419, structuring 
or wire transfers to avoid reporting 

The delays by the Branch of UBA to timely file the 
suspicious activities report significantly impaired 
the usefulness of the information because it failed to 
timely report it for action by US law enforcement 
agencies. 

Here is the URL of information on this matter direct from the 
US FinCEN site:  http://www.fincen.gov/20080428.pdf
*************************

2 MAY 2008
Fromthe  Nigerian newspaper Daily Sun:

World Bank chief reveals how he was defrauded and the EFCC intervention 

When Mr. Ishmael Lightbourne, executive director of the World Bank, ran into a 
traditional ruler who goes by the name ‘Mustapha,’ abroad and learnt that the latter was 
a ‘diplomat,’ he could have counted his luck. 

This was even more so as the ‘diplomat’ told him he had some business connections in 
South Africa, Ghana and Mali and wanted a partnership to explore them. 

Lightbourne, who wanted to make investment in Africa, had jumped at the offer, perhaps 
hoping that the friendship of a ‘diplomat’ would be worth the while. Unfortunately, he 
miscalculated, as ‘Mustapha’ milked him dry. Not even his training as accountant and a 
chartered accountant, for that matter, raised his antenna to know that he had entered into 
the trap of a fraudster or what is called ‘419’ in local parlance. 

Before his eyes were opened to the fraudster’s game, he had lost $1.4 million. 

However, luck did not desert Lightbourne totally. He shouted to the Economic and 
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which came to his rescue. So far, the EFCC has 
recovered some money from the fraudster, which was given back to the World Bank 
chief. The anti-graft commission has also promised to recover all the money involved 
and return same to him. 

Lightbourne spoke to Daily Sun on his experience and the EFCC intervention. He is full 
of praise for the anti-graft commission for its professionalism. He also sets an agenda 
for the Federal Government in the fight against corruption. 

How and when did you get involved with ‘Mustapha,’ who eventually duped you? 

A friend introduced me to Mustapha from Africa, who wanted my assistance, financial 
and otherwise, on a transaction he was engaged in. I met Mustapha personally, in the 
summer of 2002 and he represented himself as a career diplomat for Nigeria with 
involvement in South Africa, Ghana and Mali. He invited me to become involve in a 
mineral and mining venture in Ghana. I was introduced to the Chairman of the Ghana 
Mining Corporation, with a view to becoming involved in investments in the mining and 
extractive industry. 

How much was involved? 

Over the period of about two years, 2002 to 2004, I transferred approximately US$1.4 
million to Mustapha. 

How much has the EFCC recovered? 

I learnt through my legal representatives in Nigeria that the EFCC has recovered 
approximately US$800,000 in assets from Mustapha and others of his associates. 
However, I have not yet received a direct confirmation from the EFCC in this respect. 
However, through Mr. Lamorde, who was then director for the EFCC, I received a total of 
US$80,000 between 2004 and 2005. I have not received anything thereafter, but I am 
hopeful that once the case against Mustapha is concluded, there would be the 
possibility of a substantial distribution in the near future. 

What is your level of confidence in the EFCC, especially now that Lamorde has taken 
over? 

To my knowledge, Mr. Lamorde's involvement in this matter commenced around 
December 2004, at which time he notified me that the EFCC was investigating the 
fraudulent activities of Mustapha and urged me to cooperate with his investigation. I 
provided documentary evidence of the payments made to Mustapha for investment 
purposes and he promised that the money would be recovered and returned. I have 
had communications with Mr. Lamorde several times during the past four years, in his 
capacity as director of the EFCC and he has always assured me that once the court 
case is concluded, the funds already recovered would be returned. 

I accept his assurance entirely and because he is thoroughly familiar with my case and 
now in his capacity as acting Chairman of the EFCC, I am even more convinced that 
once the case is successfully completed, the funds would be returned. 

What is your view about the recent Nigeria's position on Rule of law and fight against 
corruption? 

The country of Nigeria has suffered greatly in the eyes of the international community 
because there is a perception that fraudulent practices are rampant, not only within the 
country itself, but in the aggressive and relentless practice of some of its citizens to 
fraudulently manipulate people from any country. This certainly is not a good reputation 
for a country to have and certainly, should not be the kind of reputation that the Nigerian 
citizens would want its beloved country to have. Accordingly, it is incumbent upon the 
Nigerian government to not only establish but also implement the rule of law to fight the 
ugly scars of corruption and to restore the good name of its country. 

Based on your experiences with the "419" dupes in Nigeria, what lessons have you 
learnt? 

I still receive many scam communications via e-mail, fax and ordinary mail. I have learnt 
from bitter experience and from the several documentaries that have been shown on the 
‘419’ scams to stay as far away as possible from this unlawful and dangerous business. 

What assurances has the EFCC given you to recover fully your money? 

I have received assurances from the EFCC from time to time that it would make every 
effort to recover my money. The process has been long and sometimes I have felt that 
the goal would not be accomplished. I was particularly concerned with the fact that my 
repeated request of the EFCC to disclose exactly the amount of money they have 
recovered so far has gone unanswered. But I have not lost hope and now with Mr. 
Lamorde's elevation to the position of acting Chairman of the EFCC I have even greater 
expectation of a substantial recovery of my funds. 

What is your advice to Nigerian government in her war against corruption? 

The Nigerian government is the custodian or the trustee of the good name of the people 
and country. It, therefore, has a representative and responsibility to vigorously promote 
and uphold the good name of Nigeria and to implement measures to eradicate 
corruption for the sake of its own citizenry and to rid the rest of the world of this menacing 
problem. 

The country should continue to fight corruption both at home and abroad and to work 
assiduously to build strong institutions and citizens of good character and to raise the 
national consciousness to fight against corruption in all forms and places. The 
government should establish good governance in all government institutions and to 
urge its citizens and private sector corporations to do the same. 

It should also practise the golden rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto 
you.’ 

What connection do you have with Global Society for Anti-corruption? 

I am deeply indebted to the heroic and bold efforts of the NGO, Global Society For Anti-
Corruption; its President, Frank Ezeona and others in the organization for their hard, 
unselfish and untiring work to rid Nigeria of corruption. I am grateful for their efforts to 
restore money and property to those, like myself, who have been defrauded. The 
government and people of Nigeria also owe the organization a debt of gratitude 
because of their work to rid Nigeria of corruption and establish good governance and 
the rule of law. Unfortunately, this organization needs more recruits and needs greater 
funding from the public and the government, if it is to carry on its noble mission to banish 
corruption and to restore stolen property to their rightful owners. 

The group’s president has been particularly strong and diligent in representing me 
sometimes without the proper funding. He has kept me informed about every new 
development in the case and has given honourable and professional representation so 
far. For this, I am truly grateful.

Here is the URL of this article for as ling as it is good:
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/crimewatch/2008/may/01/crimewatch-01-05-2008-001.htm
****************************

24 APR 2008
From the Guardian, a Nigerian newspaper:

Court jails man 149 years for fraud 

By Omobola Tolu-Kusimo and Yetunde Oyegbami

FOR being found guilty of defrauding a Saudi Arabian national of N36.6 million ($305, 
337), an Ikeja High Court has sentenced a middle aged man, Christ Michael Mbagwu, to 
149 years imprisonment.
 
This is just as another high court jailed a level 13 officer of the Lagos State government, 
Ogundimu Mumir, for three years for fraudulently selling a plot of land at N1.5 million.

Mbagwu (also known as Duru Christian Chidozie) obtained under false pretence the 
$305,337 from one Hassan Zean Satoohi of Alwayi Alonleai, Saudi Arabia.

But while Mbagwu pleaded guilty to the allegations, his accomplice Emmanuel Obinna 
Oguine (alias Malik Mohammed) pleaded not guilty.

In his judgment, Justice Olubunmi Oyewole said that the jail term on the 31-count charge 
brought against Mgbagwu by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) 
would run concurrently from February 2, 2005 when he was taken into custody.

Mbagwu was charged with obtaining money under false pretence, conspiracy to obtain 
money by false pretence, forgery and altering of forged documents, contrary to section 
419, 516, 467 and 468 of the Criminal Code Cap. C17 Vol 2, Laws of Lagos State of 
Nigeria, 2003. 

According to the charge sheet signed by S.K Atteh Esq, the accused sometimes in 
September 2002 with the intent to defraud, conspired to obtain money by false pretence 
from Satoohi.

The accused persons on October 2, 2002 with the intent to defraud, obtained the 
$5,640.00 from Hassan Zean Satouhi pretending that they had $30,000 to be transferred 
out of Nigeria to the foreign account of Hassan Zean Satoohi.

To facilitate and to obtain the money, the accused persons forged the contractor's 
certificate of registration (category 'A' special) purporting the certificate was issued by 
the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to Hassan Zean Satoohi of Alwafi 
Alouleai Saudi Arabia.

"I have considered the allocutus of the learned defence counsel, I have also 
considered the fact that he is a first offender. From admitted facts of this case however, I 
am inclined to believe that the posture of the 2nd accused is more prudence than 
pertinence.

"In the circumstances, I hereby sentence the 2nd accused to five years imprisonment 
without option of fine on each count one to 29 respectively. Two years imprisonment 
without option of fine on each of counts 30 to 31 respectively. And the accused shall pay 
the sum of $32,165.00 to the victim as restitution and all prison sentences shall run 
concurrently and shall be reckoned from February 10, 2005 when the accused was 
taken to custody," Justice Oyewole ruled.

Here is the URL of the article for as long as it is good:
http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article19//indexn3_html?pdate=240408&ptitle=Court%20jails%20man%20149%20years%20for%20fraud&cpdate=240408
*************************************

17 APR 2008
From BBC News UK:

Spain holds lottery scam suspects 

Spanish police have arrested 87 Nigerians suspected of defrauding at 
least 1,500 people in a postal and internet lottery scam. 

The arrests were made in and around Madrid in an operation co-
ordinated with the FBI. 

Police said millions of euros were taken from the victims, most of them in 
the United States and European Union. 

Those targeted were wrongly told they had won a lottery and asked to 
send a payment before prize money could sent. 

Thousands of letters and e-mails, most in ungrammatical English, were 
sent out to prospective victims every day, police said. 

The faked documents asked them to make an initial payment of 900 
euros ($1,400, £720) in taxes or administrative costs. 

The scam is estimated to have netted around 20 million euros, but the 
actual sum could be many times that, say police. 

Anglican bishop 

Police said the number of those defrauded could run into many 
thousands, as most of them probably failed to report the crime out of 
embarrassment. 

Police estimate that only one in 1,000 recipients of the letters needed to 
fall for the fraud for it to make a profit. An Anglican bishop was among 
those duped, according to Spanish officials. 

The operation to track down the gang began in May 2007 when a huge 
number of identical letters destined for addresses in the US was 
discovered at Madrid's Barajas airport. 

Police confiscated hundreds of computers, mobile phones and 60,000 
letters in a raid on more than 30 homes and businesses. 

Law enforcement officers also seized a suitcase full of fake $100 notes 
which they say was used to convince some victims who came to Spain in 
person to collect their "prize money". 

Here is the URL of this article for as long as it is good:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7353003.stm
********************************

16 APR 2008
From AP via Fox TV Channel 2 St. Louis:

Postal Inspectors Return Funds From Nigerian Internet Scam  
 
U.S. Postal Service inspectors in St. Louis return $4,500 to a St. Charles County woman 
who sent money to Nigeria after she was duped in an Internet scam.

The inspectors say the case marked the first time their agency ever successfully 
recovered funds sent overseas in this type of Internet scam.

Christine Shepherd, 41, met a man at an online dating site and they e-mailed for about 
eight months.

He falsely told her he was living in the United States, traveled to Nigeria, and then 
needed money from her after being beaten up and hospitalized.

The cash she sent was intercepted by Nigerian authorities, who told the postal officials 
the suspect is now serving six years for the crime.

419 Coalition note:  Kudos to the Acting Director Ibrahim Lamorde
and the EFCC for recovering and repatriating the 419ed funds and 
for jailing the perpetrator.

Here is the URL of the article for as long as it is good:
http://www.myfoxstl.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6322886&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
*************************************

2 APR 2008
UK 419 Victims Wanted for Television Documentary

Channel 4 in the UK are currently producing a documentary programme about e-
mail fraud and are interesting in hearing from anyone in the UK who has been a victim of 
an 419 e-mail scam - no matter how big or small the loss turned out to be. 

If you would like to help raise awareness of the issue and prevent other people being 
scammed, or just talk about your experince over the phone, please forward a contact 
telephone number to the following e-mail address - documentary419@hotmail.co.uk  
Discretion is of course guaranteed by the producers.
************************************

19 MAR 2008
From the Nigerian newspaper ThisDay:

NIPOST Seizes N28bn Fake Currencies

From Patrick Ugeh in Abuja
 
The Postmaster General, Mallam Ibrahim Mori Baba, has revealed that 
the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) last year intercepted over 100 
forged certificates and fake currencies in different foreign denominations.
He said the fake currencies amounted to N28,810,230,644.80.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, the NIPOST chief also said 
the agency intercepted 7,831 scam letters meant to defraud international 
businessmen and investors.

In January 2008 alone, he said $1,840,000.00; 296,631.00 pounds sterling; 
703,710.00 Euros; 917 blank cheques; 16 international passports and 
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ATM cards were intercepted, while 
$2,853,979.00; 1,186,650.00 British Pounds Sterling; 890,980.00 Euros; 21 
international passports and 1,086 blank cheques were seized in 
February... [the rest of the article deals with matters other than 419]

Here is the URL of the atricle for as long as it is good:
http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=106326
***********************************

19 MAR 2008
From the Nigerian newspaper Daily Independent:

EFCC Arraigns Man For $59 Fraud, Forgery

By Anthony Okoro and Dolapo Oseni, Lagos  

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday 
arraigned a middle-aged man before a Lagos High Court, Ikeja, for an 
alleged Advance Fee Fraud offence, popularly called ‘419’.

The accused, Akeem Adejumo (alias Stephen Williams), was charged 
with a four-count charge of fraudulently obtaining money and forgery.

According to the charge sheet signed by the EFCC Head of Legal 
Department, S. K. Atteh, the accused had, on April 25, 2007 obtained a 
parcel with tracking number 857342903764, containing a Motorola mobile 
cellular phone valued at $59 by false pretence, from Shyrah Johnson of 
United States of America, contrary to section 1 (3) of Advance Fee Fraud 
and Other Fraud Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006.

He was also alleged to have forged an e-mail titled, "EFCC 
Undercover," and purported it to have been written from EFCC address, 
to Myles Mclellan, contrary to section 467 of the criminal Code Cap 17, 
Vol. 2, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

More so, he was alleged to have been in possession of a document 
containing false pretence with intent to defraud, contrary to sections 6, 8 
(b) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related 
Offences Act No. 14 of 2006. 

The accused person pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.
The presiding judge, Justice Olubunmi Joseph Oyewole, adjourned the 
case to April 14 and 16, 2008 for proper trial.

The URL of the article is http://www.independentngonline.com/?c=117
&a=12775 for as long as it is good.
******************************
17 MAR 2008

From BBC News television in the UK:

Trauma victims at risk from scams 

Victims of some of the most high-value scams have previously suffered 
from trauma, according to a new report. 

Dutch IT fraud agency Ultrascan reviewed 362 cases when victims lost 
more than £150,000 and found that 308 had suffered family trauma. 

The agency estimated some 300,000 advanced fee fraudsters were in 
operation across the world in 2007. 

Latest research from the Office of Fair Trading suggested victims were 
most likely to be aged between 35 and 44. 

Huge losses 

The Ultrascan report claimed that £2.1bn was lost internationally to 
advanced fee fraud, the most successful of scams for con-artists. 

Victims are typically asked by e-mail to help in transferring millions of 
pounds overseas, for which they would receive a cut. 

The fraudster will then ask for bogus processing fees upfront or extract 
victims' personal details and clear their bank accounts. 

A spokesman for Ultrascan said that people, often white-collar workers, 
suffering as a result of bereavement or trauma appeared to be losing out 
in these scams. 

"We are looking at the profile of victims to help warn others," he said. 

Vulnerability myth 

Research published last year by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) 
suggested it was wrong to assume that only the vulnerable were victims 
of scams. 

"Our research dispels the myth that only the vulnerable, elderly or naive 
are taken in by scams," said the OFT report into mass-marketed scams, 
the first study of its kind. 

Older people were more likely to lose more money on average, the 
research found, but victims were most commonly aged 35 to 44. 

Those in less affluent groups were particularly at risk of foreign lottery, 
career opportunity and clairvoyant scams. 

Those earning more were affected by advance fee, property investor 
and high-risk investment scams. 

Nearly two-thirds of victims of all scams were in employment, the OFT 
study found....

[The remainder of the piece doesn't have anything to do with 419]

Here is the URL of the piece for as long as it is good:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7300543.stm
**************************************

8 MAR 2008
From the Nigerian newspaper, The Punch:

Nine Nigerians jailed for forging Ghanaian president’s letterhead 

By Emeka Madunagu with agency report 

An advance fee fraud (419) syndicate, made up of Nigerians who used the forged 
letterheads of the President, Ministry of Finance and the signature of the Governor of the 
Bank of Ghana to dupe foreigners on the Internet, has been handed a five-year jail term 
by an Accra Circuit Court. 

According to www.ghanaweb.com, the first accused person, Victor Okechukwu Okoye 
Ibueze, now at large, was sentenced in absentia while the remaining eight, namely 
Ibrahim Mato, Benson Nnadi, Budy Sampson, Raymond Popson, Ashanor Wright 
Waheed, Adeotan Oluwafemi Adeniyi, Abolade Oluwaseyi Toyosi and Ekpemadu 
Chukwu Andy, were all jailed. 

They were each sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to commit crime and 18 
months for possessing forged official documents. But Ibrahim Mato, using a Ghanaian 
passport with the name Edward Mensah, was found guilty of forgery of passport and 
sentenced to 18 months. 

All the charges are to run concurrently, according to Jennifer Duodu, the trial judge. 

The first accused person was the one in whose house at Achimota, a suburb of Accra, 
the cyber café was situated, from which the other accused persons who are mostly 
computer experts and self-styled businessmen operate. 

In addition, the syndicate had a workshop at Alogboshie near Achimota where their 
faulty computers were repaired to prevent their activities from being detected. 

The facts of the case as read by the court, according to the prosecution, were that the 
syndicate had for sometime now been using the cyber café to prepare forged 
documents to convince their victims that huge sums of money had been deposited in 
some banks in Ghana in their names, and that to access these monies, taxes must be 
paid in Euros and US dollars. 

According to the court, the accused persons managed to convince a French national 
they met on the net, who is the complainant in this case, that $8.5 million had been 
bequeathed him at S-G SSB Bank at Kokomlemle in Accra, so he had to pay some 
money for the release of the funds. 

The court noted that through some fraudulent correspondences, using the letterhead of 
the President, and other forged documents, the accused persons managed to invite the 
complainant to Ghana and on May 25, 2005 collected $35,000 from him as part payment. 
The court noted that at that the same meeting, Ibrahim Mato, the second accused 
person, posed as the manager of the International Commercial Bank, while the others 
acted as solicitors and a receipt was handed to the complainant for the money paid. 
The Frenchman was subsequently asked to return to his country and later remit the 
remaining money. 

Furthermore, the court stated that the complainant was made to understand that he had 
to finish payment before his fortune could be transferred to him. 

The judge noted that while in France, the complainant discussed the issue with a 
Ghanaian friend and showed him the documents. This friend then advised the 
complainant to report to the police in Ghana because the documents were forged. 

Explaining further, the judge said when the complainant was invited to Ghana again by 
the syndicate on September 16 2005, he alerted the police who trailed the accused 
persons to the Kotoka International Airport. 

They were arrested as they took the complainant from the airport towards Saint Peters 
Street, Achimota. 

A search conducted in the house where the syndicate operated yielded computers, 
eight Ghanaian passports belonging to the accused persons, ECOWAS travelling 
certificates, a driver's licence, some undisclosed amounts of money in cedis and naira, 
and assorted forged documents. 

Other items retrieved later included letterheads of the President, signature of the Bank of 
Ghana Governor, Dr. Paul Acquah, and letterheads of the Ministry of Finance, Ghana 
Police Service, the High Court of Ghana, Auditor-General, among others. 

419 Coalition comment:  Good on the Ghanian authorities!  We hope that
they will keep up the good work, it is appreciated.
******************************

23 FEB 2008
From ABC News Australia:

Arrested man a 'major player' in email scam: police

Police say it is very rare to make an arrest of this type as offenders are 
notoriously hard to catch.

Police believe a Nigerian man they have arrested in Perth is a major 
player in an international scam costing Australians millions of dollars a 
year.

Officers from the Western Australian computer crime squad allege the 
man may have personally been involved in African advance fee fraud 
offences involving up to a million dollars.

Detective Sergeant Duncan Taylor says the 29-year-old man pretended 
to be a diplomat or other foreign government official, and recruited 
victims online with various stories of windfalls and inheritance.

He says the arrest is significant.

"It's an extremely rare occurrence to identify and prosecute one of these 
offenders in Australia, as their normal mode of operation is to hide 
behind multi-jurisdictions," he said.

Sergeant Taylor says one of the victims in this case travelled to 
Malaysia as part of the scam.

"On one occasion a victim was actually convinced to travel overseas at 
which time he was met with associates and actually taken to a bank 
where a large sum of money was withdrawn," he said.

"So he found himself in a very dangerous situation."

Here is the URL of the story for as long as it is good:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/23/2170756.htm?section=australia
********************************

30 JAN 2008
From the US Department of Justice:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2008
(202) 514-2007
TDD (202) 514-1888

Three Defendants Plead Guilty in "Advance-Fee" Fraud Scheme

Fraud Victims Lose More Than $1.2 Million

WASHINGTON ­ Three defendants pleaded guilty to federal charges of running an 
"advance-fee" scheme that targeted U.S. victims with promises of millions of dollars, 
including money from an estate and a lottery, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher 
of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Benton J. Campbell of the Eastern District of 
New York announced today. The guilty plea proceedings were held before United 
States Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr. at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, 
New York.

The investigation was initiated by Dutch law enforcement authorities. After identifying 
victims in the United States, the Dutch authorities notified the U.S. Postal Inspection 
Service, which opened its own investigation, resulting in the charges against the 
defendants. Three of the defendants were arrested in Amsterdam on February 21, 2006, 
and were subsequently extradited to the United States. They are:

Nnamdi Chizuba Anisiobi (a/k/a Yellowman, Abdul Rahman, Michael Anderson, 
Edmund Walter, Nancy White, Jiggaman, and Namo), 31, citizen of Nigeria;

Anthony Friday Ehis (a/k/a John J. Smith, Toni N. Amokwu and Mr. T), 34, citizen of 
Senegal; and

Kesandu Egwuonwu (a/k/a KeKe, Joey Martin Maxwell, David Mark, Helmut Schkinger), 
35, citizen of Nigeria.

Anisiobi pled guilty to one count of conspiracy, eight counts of wire fraud and one count 
of mail fraud. Ehis pled guilty to one count of conspiracy and five counts of wire fraud. 
Egwuonwu pled guilty to one count of conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud and one 
count of mail fraud. The fraud victims allegedly lost more than $1.2 million.

A fourth defendant, also a Nigerian citizen, Lenn Nwokeafor (a/k/a Eric Williams, Lee, 
Chucks, and Nago), fled to Nigeria and was subsequently arrested by the Nigerian 
Economic & Financial Crimes Commission on July 27, 2006, pursuant to a United States 
arrest warrant. He is being held by the Nigerian authorities pending extradition to the 
United States.

According to the indictment and an earlier filed complaint, the defendants sent "spam" 
e-mails to thousands of potential victims, in which they falsely claimed to control millions 
of dollars located abroad. Attempting to conceal their identities, the defendants used a 
variety of aliases, phone numbers, and email addresses. In one scenario, the 
defendants sent emails purporting to be from an individual suffering from terminal throat 
cancer who needed assistance distributing approximately $55 million to charity. In 
exchange for a victim’s help, the defendants offered to give a 20% commission to the 
victim or a charity of his or her choice. Subsequently, as part of the ruse, the defendants 
would send a variety of fraudulent documents, including a "Letter of Authority" or a 
"Certificate of Deposit," making it appear that the promised funds were available, and 
pictures of an individual claiming to suffer from throat cancer. Defendant Anisiobi 
allegedly telephoned victims, disguising his voice to give the impression that he was 
suffering from throat cancer.

After obtaining their victims’ trust, the defendants asked them to wire-transfer payment for 
a variety of advance fees, ostensibly for legal representation, taxes, and additional 
documentation. In return, the victims received nothing. In a variation of the scheme, if the 
victims said they could not afford to pay the advance fees, the defendants would send 
them counterfeit checks, supposedly from a cancer patient, to cover those fees. Many 
victims deposited the checks and then drew on them to wire-transfer the advance fees. 
Subsequently, when the checks did not clear, the victims suffered substantial losses.

"Online scam artists should be on notice that we will continue to work closely with our 
international partners to ensure that there are no safe geographic boundaries for 
committing these crimes," said Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal 
Division. "These defendants preyed upon the kindness and charity of their victims by 
sending thousands of scam emails aimed at their recipients’ heartstrings," stated United 
States Attorney Benton J. Campbell. "If you receive an email offering you money in 
exchange for an advance fee, you would be well advised to delete it."

The maximum penalty for mail and wire fraud is 20 years in prison. The conspiracy 
charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and prosecuted by 
Fraud Section Trial Attorneys Mary (Kit) Dimke, Amanda Riedel, and Nicola Mrazek, 
Paralegal Pamela Johnson, and Assistant United States Attorney Tanya Hill.

Here is the URL of the announcement for as long as it is good:
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/January/08_crm_075.html
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7 JAN 2008
As reported in all the Nigerian media, there has been a major flap
over the EFCC (the primary Nigerian counter-419 agency) in the Nigerian 
government going on for the last several weeks and continuing.  

In essence, elements in the government want the Director of the EFCC,
Nuhu Ribadu, to step down and attend a nine-month Nigeria Police 
academy staff officer training course.  Other elements in the Nigerian
government want Ribadu replaced entirely, still others want him to
stay on the job.

We at 419 Coalition would like for Ribadu to stay on the job.  If that
cannot be managed, we'd prefer that he be seconded to the staff
college and return as Director of the EFCC at the completion of the
course.  In that case, we'd prefer that the Deputy Director of the EFCC,
Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, serve as Acting Director during Ribadu's absence.

The EFCC is the first counter-419 effort in the history of the Nigerian 
government to get any meaningful results whatever.  Both Ribadu and 
Lamorde are internationally respected proven counter-419 operatives 
and have been instrumental in getting those results.  Continuity is 
conducive to successful counter-419 operations; turmoil in Nigeria's 
primary counter-419 agency is not.  

We here at 419 Coalition say that it would be foolish to change horses
in mid-stream at the EFCC.  And we want the current flap to be quickly
resolved so the EFCC staff can get back to work, as there is much to
be done and all this hooha is not helping the counter-419 effort.

419 Coalition note:  This matter was ultimately concluded by Nuhu Ribadu
being seconded to the police staff college for the bulk of 2008, with  Ibrahim
Lamorde assuming the post of Acting Director of the EFCC while  Ribadu
is gone.
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