King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal’s son, Sultan Omogbadebo Anifowoshe, 26, aka Ayinde, has been arrested alongside 8 others over $2m fraud in U.S.
Kwam 1’s son’s arrest came after a Chicago-based investigation, dubbed “Operation Gold Phish,” law enforcement identified a variety of cyber-enabled fraud schemes allegedly carried out by conspirators in the U.S. and Nigeria. One of the alleged schemes involved “romance scams,” in which a conspirator builds trust with a victim through a purported online romance before convincing the victim to send money to a predetermined recipient.
Though the Nigerian EFCC is conducting a related investigation of other individuals in Nigeria, it was gathered that a criminal complaint filed Dec. 4, 2018, in U.S. District Court in Chicago charged the nine defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Arrests were recently carried out in Illinois, Texas, and Nigeria, and all of the defendants are now in law enforcement custody.
Suspects arrested in Illinois include Daniel Samuel Eta, 35, Babatunde Ladehinde Labiyi, 20, Barnabas Oghenerukevwe Edjieh, 29, Kwam 1’s son, Sultan Omogbadebo Anifowoshe, 26, aka Ayinde; Babatunde Ibraheem Akarigidi, 39, Miracle Ayokunle Okunola, 21, Olurotimi Akitunde Idowu, 55
Suspect arrested in Texas include Adewale Anthony Adewumi, 27. Those arrested in Lagos Nigeria, include Olaniyi Adeleye Ogungbaiye, 26, aka DonChiChi. The suspects who funneled the proceeds into their personal bank accounts or overseas, often Nigeria, reportedly used the money at least 3 times to pay for vehicles on behalf of a Nigerian car company owned by one of the defendants.
In addition to the romance and mystery shopper schemes, the complaint also accused the conspirators of engaging in various other cyber-enabled scams, including investment and employment frauds. If convicted, the suspects will be facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
