Nigerian national sentenced to 19 years for $4M romance and BEC scam
TL;DR
A Nigerian man in Houston was sentenced to 19 years for a $4M romance and business email scam, pleading guilty to wire fraud and false immigration statements.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
A 40-year-old man who illegally resided in Houston has been ordered to federal prison for his role in a romance scam and business email compromise scheme. Leslie Chinedu Mba pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit false statements in immigration documents Dec. 4, 2025. Mba has been ordered to serve 228 months in federal prison. From Apr. 2018 to Dec. 2023, Mba and others inside and outside of the U.S. carried out business email compromise and romance scams targeting unsuspecting victims. Victims believed they were sending money to legitimate businesses, but Mba and others instead funneled the funds to accounts they controlled. The scheme resulted in a total loss of $4 million. News Release