"Nigerian Man Extradited from Germany Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Scheme"

 A 35-year-old Nigerian man, Lotenna Chisom Umeadi, who was extradited from Germany to the United States, has pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud.

United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, along with Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge of the Buffalo Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), announced Umeadi's plea in a statement released on Thursday, March 20. Umeadi admitted to soliciting and purchasing a webpage from a computer hacker, which enabled him to illegally access individuals' email passwords. He used these passwords to infiltrate the email accounts of employees at a produce exporter based in Sri Lanka.

Umeadi then sent fraudulent emails that appeared to originate from the legitimate produce exporter but were actually sent from an account he had created and controlled. These emails directed payments for the Sri Lankan company’s accounts receivable to bank accounts in the United Kingdom that were also controlled by Umeadi.

As a result of Umeadi's fraudulent emails, a produce importer in Plattsburgh, New York, wired a total of $158,400 to these UK bank accounts on two separate occasions in 2016.

Umeadi was apprehended on September 1, 2024, by German authorities upon his arrival from Nigeria. Subsequently, he was extradited to the United States.

At his sentencing, scheduled for July 21, 2025, Umeadi faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release not exceeding three years. The judge will determine the exact sentence based on the specific statute Umeadi has violated, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and any relevant factors.

After serving his prison term, Umeadi is expected to be removed from the United States.

The investigation is being conducted by HSI, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer prosecuting the case in conjunction with the United States Department of Justice Office of International Affairs.