Fergie's Tech Blog

Three Spammers Sentenced in US for Advance Fee Fraud

Jeremy Kirk writes on PC World:

Two Nigerians and a Frenchman were sentenced to prison Thursday for swindling people out of more than US$1.2 million in a massive e-mail scam, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Nnamdi Chizuba Anisiobi, 31, of Nigeria was sentenced to 87 months in prison, while Anthony Friday Ehis, 34, of France and Kesandu Egwuonwu, 35, of Nigeria were sentenced to 57 months. They were sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

After being arrested in Amsterdam in February 2006, all three were extradited to the U.S. The DOJ said all three pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, eight counts of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud. Mail and wire fraud carry maximum possible sentences of 20 years in prison, while conspiracy has a maximum penalty of five years.

The three men executed so-called advance fee frauds. Victims were told their help was needed distributing money for charity. In exchange, victims were promised they would get a commission that would go to the charity of their choice, the DOJ said.

posted by Fergie @ 4/03/2009 01:53:00 PM