A Nigerian man, Sunday Daniel Ganyo, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in a cyber fraud scheme that targeted American companies. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill, is for 84 months. Ganyo was also ordered to pay approximately $2.8 million in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The court learned that Ganyo led a scheme where fake email addresses were used to impersonate officials from large companies. This tricked technology suppliers and other vendors into sending goods that were then redirected to South Africa. The fraud was uncovered when a fake order worth over $400,000 was intercepted by FBI agents. They tracked the shipment to Ganyo's warehouse in South Africa using a tracking device, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Ganyo attempted to steal nearly $8 million worth of goods, successfully obtaining over $2.3 million before his plan was discovered. He was arrested in South Africa in January 2021 and extradited to the U.S. in July 2023. In November 2023, he pleaded guilty to the charges. Ganyo will remain in custody until he is transferred to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and will be deported to Nigeria after serving his sentence. His arrest and extradition were made possible through cooperation between the U.S. Justice Department and South African authorities. The FBI conducted the investigation, with the case prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Nassar and Thomas Buscemi. Restitution was set at $2,829,878.40 to compensate for the financial losses caused by the fraud, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
