Memphis BEC Scammers Arrested and At Large
The main indictment, originally filed in August 2017, charges 11 individuals with a variety of offenses related to their Business Email Compromise [BEC] crimes.
Count 1: 18 USC §1349.F – Attempt and Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud – penalties of up 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, plus supervised release for up to 3 years.
Counts 2-8: 18 USC §1343.F – Fraud by Wire, Radio, or Television – penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, plus supervised release for up to 3 years.
Count 9: 18 USC §§1956-4390.F – Money Laundering – Embezzlement, Other – penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000, plus supervised release for up to 3 years.
Count 10: 18 USC §371.F – Conspiracy to Defraud the United States – penalties of up to 5 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, plus supervised release for up to 1 year.
Count 11-14: 18 USC §10288.A.F – Fraud with Identification Documents + Aggravated Identity Theft – 2 years incarceration consecutive to any other sentence imposed, plus fines of not more than $250,000.
1. Babatunde Martins (Counts 1,9,10,11)
2. Victor Daniel Fortune Okorhi (Counts 1,9,10)
3. Benard Emurhowhoariogho Okorkhi (Counts 1, 2, 3, 9, 10)
4. Maxwell Peter (Counts 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14)
5. Dennis Miah – (Counts 1,9,10,11,13)
6. Sumaila Hardi Wumpini – (Counts 1,9,10)
7. Olufolajimi Abegunde (USM # 71343-019), (Counts 1,9,12)
8. Ayodeji Olumide Ojo (Counts 1,9,12)
9. Dana Brady (Counts 1,9)
10. James Dean (USM # 52637-076) (Counts 1,9)
11. Javier Luis Ramos Alonso, 28, (USM #24513-111) (Counts 1, 5, 9, 12)
In a separate indictment, Rashid Abdulai, was charged for much of the same, but with his key role being controlling five TD Bank accounts that were used to launder funds.
The primary victim in this case seems to be “Company A”, a real estate company in Memphis, who is foolishly identified in the indictment through the carelessness of the author. I’ve chosen to redact myself on that, but DAMN! When you describe the company in such a way that there is exactly one such company on planet earth, you are failing to keep the faith of your victim companies. Shame!
Fortunately, the indictment also shares a lot of details on the defendants:
RASHID ABDULAI, age 24
a citizen of Ghana, residing in Bronx, New York
controlled at least five TD Bank accounts
BABATUNDE MARTINS, age 62
email: [email protected]
Company: Afriocean LTD
Nigerian citizen living in Ghana
VICTOR DANIEL FORTUNE OKORHI, age 35 – *** STILL AT LARGE AND WANTED***
emails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Company: Vicdary Company LTD
Nigerian citizen living in Ghana
BENARD EMURHOWWHOARIOGHO OKORHI, age 39
emails: [email protected], [email protected]
Company: Coolben Royal Links LTD
Nigerian citizen living in Ghana
MAXWELL ATUGBA ABAYETA (AKA Peter Maxwell, AKA Maxwell Peter ), age 26
emails: [email protected], [email protected]
social accounts: Facebook.com/maxwell.peter.5688
citizen of Ghana
DENNIS MIAH (aka Dennis Brown, AKA Dr. Den Brown), age 34 – *** STILL AT LARGE AND WANTED***
emails: [email protected], [email protected]
social accounts: Facebook.com/Oga.Bossson, Twitter.com/Oga.Bossson
citizen of Ghana
SUMAILA HARDI WUMPINI, age 29 – *** STILL AT LARGE AND WANTED***
email: [email protected]
social accounts: Facebook.com/Wumpini.Hardy
resident of Ghana
OLUFOLAJIMI ABEGUNDE, age 31
Nigerian citizen residing in Atlanta, Georgia
AYODEJI OLUMIDE OJO, age 35 – *** STILL AT LARGE AND WANTED***
Nigerian citizen, lives with ABEGUNDE in Atlanta when in United States
DANA BRADY, aged 61
emails: [email protected]
US Citizen residing in Auburn, Washington
JAMES DEAN, aged 65
US Citizen, residing in Plainfield, Indiana
JAVIER LUIS RAMOS ALONSO, aged 28
Mexican citizen, residing in Seaside, California
D. G. –
emails: [email protected], [email protected]
US Citizen residing in Mississippi
J.R.
emails: [email protected]
US Citizen residing in New Jersey
M.Z.
emails: [email protected]
US Citizen residing in Utah
T.W. – US Citizen residing in Tennessee
J.B. – US Citizen residing in Alabama
C.M. – US Citizen residing in Tennessee (Western District)
C.W. – US Citizen residing in Tennessee
A.K. – US Citizen residing in Tennessee (Western District)
V.M. – US Citizen residing in Georgia
How It Worked
Specific Acts
Although the indictment doesn’t lay out more of the particular acts, the Press Release says that this group stole more than $15 Million altogether!
Some interesting images
“M.Z.” has an interesting Amazon Wish List for a romance scammer involved in shipping electronics:
On December 8, 2017, Abdulai says is asked in one of his WhatsApp chats: “Hope Maxwell case didn’t put you into any problem.” He responded “FBI came to my house asking me stuff about those transactions that was coming into my account so I’m tryna stay out f this whatapp n stuff for a while cuz I feel like they tracking me.”
You got that right, Abdulai!
*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from CyberCrime & Doing Time authored by Gary Warner, UAB. Read the original post at: http://garwarner.blogspot.com/2018/06/memphis-bec-scammers-arrested-and-at.html