NidCOM, Mrs. Dabiri Ereduwa
A 40-year-old Nigerian national, Leslie Mba, has been sentenced to 19 years in a United States federal prison for orchestrating a $4 million romance scam and business email compromise operation.
The sentence was handed down by US District Judge David Hittner, who ordered Mba to serve 228 months behind bars after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to make false statements in immigration documents. He is expected to face deportation proceedings after completing his sentence.
The conviction was announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
According to prosecutors, Mba and his accomplices ran a transnational fraud network between April 2018 and December 2023, targeting individuals and businesses through online romance scams and compromised corporate email accounts.
Investigators said members of the syndicate gained unauthorised access to business email accounts overseas and diverted legitimate payments into bank accounts under their control in the United States.
Victims believed they were transferring funds to trusted companies, but the money was instead funnelled to accounts managed by the fraud ring. Authorities said Mba functioned as a money mule, opening or using bank accounts to receive and move illicit proceeds.
The court heard that total losses from the scheme exceeded $4 million.
US Attorney Nicholas Ganjei described the offences as particularly troubling, noting that romance scams disproportionately target vulnerable individuals, including elderly victims.
“Romance scams are among the lowest and most despicable forms of fraud because they prey upon the lonely and vulnerable,” Ganjei said, adding that Mba also attempted to deceive immigration authorities while committing the crimes.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation also condemned the scheme. FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson said the perpetrators exploited trust and emotional vulnerability to cause financial and psychological harm.
Investigators further revealed that Mba sought to secure US permanent residency through multiple fraudulent marriages after a previous application was denied and he was ordered removed from the country.
Four other Houston residents — Grace Morisho, Rodgers Kadikilo, Kristin Smith and Alexandra Golovko — had earlier pleaded guilty in connection with the case. Morisho, Kadikilo and Smith received prison terms ranging from 15 to 25 months, while Golovko was sentenced to five years’ probation.
Mba remains in custody pending transfer to a facility to be designated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
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2026-03-02
