A United States federal court has sentenced a Nigerian businessman and socialite, Edikan Adiakpan, to 30 months in prison for helping fraudsters move proceeds of a business email compromise scheme through accounts linked to his company.
Adiakpan, 35, who is based in Houston, Texas, was also ordered to undergo three years of supervised release after completing his prison term, according to the United States Department of Justice.
The court, presided over by District Judge Andrew Hanen, found that Adiakpan used his company, Akama Lifestyle, which he operated as a luxury transportation and lifestyle concierge service, to receive and transfer illicit funds between 2020 and 2022.
The DOJ said Adiakpan acted as a money mule, receiving funds from fraudsters and moving them through the company’s accounts in exchange for a percentage of the money as his fee.
According to the department, the funds were linked to a business email compromise operation that targeted more than 10 victims.
Investigators also found that Adiakpan deposited and redeemed several cashier’s cheques made payable to himself and his exotic car business, with about $359,000 of the victims’ money passing through the transactions.
The Nigerian was previously convicted for his role in the fraudulent operation, while another Nigerian, 27-year-old Ayobami Omoniyi, who was also convicted over the scheme, was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison on March 24.
Adiakpan’s latest sentence adds to a growing number of convictions involving individuals accused of helping cyber fraudsters conceal, transfer or withdraw proceeds of online scams in the United States.
