Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
A Nigerian man identified as Nnamdi Marcellus Mgbodile, living in Marietta, Georgia, United States has been arraigned on twenty counts of bank fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
He was docked on November 19th before the U.S. Magistrate Judge Janet F. King. A federal grand jury indicted Mgbodile on November 6, 2019. Mgbodile was docked the same day that Air Peace chairman, Allen Onyema was also accused of money laundering and bank fraud by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia.
One of Mgbodile’s alleged victims, a woman reportedly lost $6.5million to him via romance scam, while he failed to pull through a Business E-mail Compromise Scam of $350,000.
“Online romance scams and business email compromise frauds have increasingly become the method of choice for transnational fraudsters targeting U.S. residents and companies,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak, who made the announcement of Mgbodile’s indictment and arraignment on Wednesday in Atlanta.
“In this case, a single victim allegedly lost millions. This is a stark reminder that users of online dating websites should be aware of such scams and exercise extreme caution if asked for money by anyone online or over the phone.”
“This investigation and subsequent indictment demonstrate the commitment the Secret Service and our partners have in aggressively pursuing those who commit online fraud scams,” said Malcolm D. Wiley, Sr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office.
“This case serves as a reminder to all, particularly during the holiday season, to ensure protocols related to cyber hygiene are observed.”
According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court, Mgbodile was allegedly involved in two fraudulent schemes, a romance scam that defrauded a Virginia woman out of more than $6.5 million, and a business email compromise (“BEC”) scam in which Mgbodile and others attempted to defraud a Georgia company of nearly $350,000.
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