Houston resident sentenced for his role in a $359K email scam scheme
HOUSTON - A Houston resident is heading to federal prison after using a luxury car business as a front to move stolen money from a massive email scam.
Edikan Adiakpan, 35, pleaded guilty on May 12 for his role in illegally sending money generated by an international fraud scheme. He was sentenced to 2-and-a-half years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Email scam accomplice charged
The backstory:
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Adiakpan, a Nigerian citizen who had temporary legal status in the U.S. at the time of his arrest, ran a business called "Akama Lifestyle." The business was advertised as a luxury car service.
Courtesy of United States Attorney’s OfficeSouthern District of Texas
Evidence showed between 2020 and 2022, Adiakpan used the business to move money for other scammers and kept a percentage of the money a a fee.
The money coming through Adiakpan’s accounts came from scammers who used a widespread business email compromise scheme that targeted more than 10 victims. According to the court, the scammers sent "spoofed" emails that looked like they came from real suppliers and creditors. The victims were tricked into sending payments to bank accounts controlled by the fraud ring rather than their actual business partners.
Among the victims was a small utility trailer manufacturer in Mississippi. During the sentencing hearing, they gave a victim impact statement that explained how the company was tricked into wiring $927,080 to the Houston-based fraudsters thinking they were paying their trailer supplier.
A small portion of that money was routed directly to Adiakpan, who deposited and redeemed cashier's checks made out to himself and his luxury car company, which had $359,000 of the victim's money.
The Source: Information from this article was gathered from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas.