Amowie Kelvin Imatitikua, a 37-year-old Nigerian national, has admitted to federal charges in Boston related to a series of web-based scams, including romance and pandemic relief fraud. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Imatitikua pleaded guilty to bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and money laundering conspiracy on July 26, 2024.
The guilty plea comes after an indictment on December 12, 2023, following investigations into fraudulent activities spanning from 2019 to 2021. Per the reports, Imatitikua opened various bank accounts employing bogus identities and fraudulent foreign passports to collect over $400,000 from different scams. Armed with fraudulent passports, these bank accounts were a channel to siphon the ill-gotten gains of his alleged co-conspirators’ complex deceit.
The case, which saw the joint efforts of various federal agencies, outlined penalties for the crimes including up to 30 years of imprisonment for bank fraud, and an additional potential 20 years for money laundering. Moreover, fines could amount up to $1 million or twice the gross gain or loss stemming from the bank fraud plots, and up to $500,000 or twice the value of the criminally derived property for money laundering conspiracy, as stated by the Justice Department's announcement. Sentencing is set for November 6, 2024, with U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris presiding.
Following the surge in fraud cases related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force was formed on May 17, 2021. With a plethora of resources, this task force aims to deter pandemic-related fraud by improving the investigation and prosecution of those most accountable and augmenting prevention efforts in administering relief. Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, credited his team and partners for their diligent work on the case and stressed the ongoing commitment to prosecuting such fraudulent activities.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Markham and Benjamin A. Saltzman of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit. Authorities urge anyone with information about suspected COVID-19 fraud to report it either by calling the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline or through the NCDF web complaint form, emphasizing the importance of public vigilance in these matters.
