Nigerian Bags 90-Month U.S. Jail Term In $1.2m Fraud

A United States court has handed a 90-month prison sentence to Nigerian national, James Junior Aliyu, over his role in a transnational wire fraud and money laundering operation involving compromised business email accounts.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement on Saturday that Aliyu participated in a conspiracy built around hacking into corporate email systems to facilitate fraudulent financial transactions.

Aliyu, who was extradited from South Africa to stand trial in the United States, was also ordered to forfeit $1.2m and pay $2.4m in restitution. He is expected to be deported after completing his prison term.

According to the agency, “He will serve a 90-month sentence for his role in a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy after planning to hack business email servers.”

Further details from the U.S. Department of Justice show that the 30-year-old had earlier pleaded guilty in August 2025 to conspiracy charges tied to wire fraud and money laundering.

Prosecutors said Aliyu was the final defendant among a group of co-conspirators to enter a guilty plea, while at least eight others had previously admitted involvement in related cases before a Maryland court.

The case dates back to June 2019 when a federal grand jury indicted Aliyu alongside two others. The charges remained sealed until July 2022, when the defendants were arrested outside the United States and subsequently extradited.

Court filings reveal that the scheme, which operated between February and July 2017, followed a business email compromise model. The group gained unauthorised access to email accounts belonging to individuals and companies, then sent falsified payment instructions using spoofed email addresses to trick victims into transferring funds.

Investigators said the proceeds were moved through multiple bank accounts in a bid to conceal their origin. This included transferring funds between accounts, withdrawing cash, and using financial instruments such as cheques to obscure ownership.

Financial records presented in court showed that transactions directly linked to Aliyu carried an intended loss exceeding $4.16m, with actual losses put at over $1.57m. Authorities also found that he controlled nearly $1.2m of the illicit proceeds.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Aliyu is required to forfeit at least $1.19m and make restitution covering victims’ losses, which prosecutors estimated at no less than $2.38m.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, described the case as indicative of the scale and coordination involved in cyber-enabled fraud. Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella also participated in the announcement.

Officials credited a joint international effort for the investigation, including Homeland Security Investigations teams in Maryland and South Africa, as well as South African law enforcement authorities. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs played a key role in securing Aliyu’s extradition.