A 34-year-old Nigerian national residing in Houston, Texas, Edikan Adiakpan, has pleaded guilty to illegal money transmission, according to Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Court documents revealed that from 2020 to 2022, Adiakpan owned an unlicensed money transmitting business through a company he controlled, Akama Lifestyle.
As part of his plea, Adiakpan admitted that “he used the business to transfer funds and kept a percentage as a fee.”
Authorities said the funds he received and transmitted originated from fraudsters who carried out a business email compromise scheme targeting more than 10 victims.
The victims received spoofed emails that appeared to come from legitimate suppliers and creditors, tricking them into sending payments to accounts controlled by the fraudsters instead of the actual vendors.
One victim wired $927,080 to the fraud network, which later forwarded portions of the proceeds to Adiakpan.
He also redeemed a cashier’s check payable to himself that contained $60,000 of the victim’s money.
Adiakpan has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.
Another Nigerian citizen, Ayobami Omoniyi, 26, was previously sentenced on March 24 to 32 months in federal prison for his role in the scheme.
U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen accepted the guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for September 15. At that time, Adiakpan faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
The investigation was conducted by FBI – Houston and its Bryan Resident Agency, alongside IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek is prosecuting the case.
