Nigerian man jailed 12 years, fined $188.9k in America

A Nigerian national, Christopher Agbaje, has been sentenced to 142 months in prison for his role in a fraud scheme targeting a North Dakota law firm.

Additionally, Agbaje must pay $188,935.74 in restitution to the firm.

According to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota, Agbaje was involved in a scheme between November and December 2020.

He, along with others, pretended to be a business owner in a legal dispute with a Bismarck company and established a fake attorney-client relationship with the firm.

The scheme involved submitting a fraudulent Citibank check for $198,850.00 to the law firm, which was deposited into their account. At the request of the fake business owner, the firm then transferred $198,336.68 to Agbaje’s business partner.

Following the transfer, Agbaje directed his partner to initiate a fake $180,000 international wire transfer to obscure the money’s location and control. Upon learning that law enforcement was investigating the transfer, Agbaje instructed his partner to “gain leverage” and “claim naivety.”

Agbaje was extradited from the United Kingdom to North Dakota in February 2024. Initially facing five charges, he was cleared of Wire Fraud and Mail Fraud in May but was found guilty of Money Laundering, Aiding and Abetting Wire Fraud, and Aiding and Abetting Mail Fraud. He was convicted on May 18 after a four-day trial in Bismarck.