Nigerian man admitted to defrauding 15 Americans of $1 million and is facing five-year prison sentence.

Isaiah Okere, a 42-year-old Nigerian man, has admitted guilt to charges related to internet fraud that deceived over 15 Americans and organizations out of more than $1 million.

On Tuesday, Okere appeared in front of U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman in New York, where he acknowledged his involvement in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, disclosed that Okere worked with members of the international criminal group Black Axe to execute a range of scams, including romance frauds, lottery schemes, and business email compromises, all targeting vulnerable individuals. The frauds primarily impacted elderly and isolated victims, many of whom lost their entire life savings.

Arrested in South Africa in December 2021, Okere was extradited to the U.S. on August 23, 2024. He now faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

U.S. Attorney Williams stated, “Isaiah Okere and his co-conspirators preyed on elderly and vulnerable victims, with some losing their life savings. This office’s global reach ensures he will be held accountable in the United States for his actions.”

The fraudulent activities spanned from 2015 to November 2019, inflicting substantial emotional and financial harm on the victims.

Some individuals were deceived into believing they were in romantic relationships with Okere and his associates, resulting in them depleting their retirement funds and even borrowing from family and friends. One victim reported feeling suicidal after losing her savings to the scam.

In addition to the romance schemes, Okere and his accomplices employed fraudulent lottery scams and business email compromise (BEC) fraud to defraud individuals and companies.

“Many victims suffered severe emotional distress, including a woman who became suicidal after losing her retirement savings to this scheme.

“They used a fake lottery scheme to inform certain victims that they had won a cash prize but needed to pay certain fees to access the funds.

“Likewise, they used the BEC fraud scheme to persuade a corporate victim in Manhattan to release company funds under false pretenses by impersonating the company’s founder.

“Okere communicated with his U.S. victims using accounts registered under false identities and controlled several foreign bank accounts in South Africa that received money from these targeted victims,” the U.S. authorities reported.

Okere’s accomplice, Timy Hakim, received a two-year prison sentence in 2023 and was ordered to pay over $1.4 million in restitution.