A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for his involvement in an international money laundering conspiracy. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.
Toochukwu Michael Okorie, 46, from Bristol, Pennsylvania, received a 108-month sentence from U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler after being convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering. This is not Okorie's first conviction; he was previously found guilty of wire fraud and money laundering in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2011.
Evidence presented during the trial revealed that between June 2017 and May 2019, Okorie laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars through two front companies: TMO Consulting LLC and Collective Intelligence Forensics LLC. The funds were obtained through various fraudulent activities such as business email compromise and romance scams, including victims from the Northern District of Alabama. The proceeds were moved among different bank accounts to disguise their origin before being wired to Nigeria or used to purchase automobiles for overseas shipment.
Two other individuals involved in the conspiracy have already been sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Anna M. Manasco. Paulinus Ebhodaghe, 40, from Clementon, New Jersey, received a 37-month sentence on January 20, 2022, while Ohimai Asikhia, 37, from Glassboro, New Jersey, was sentenced to 18 months.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service Cyber Fraud Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward J. Canter and John M. Hundscheid prosecuted the case.
For more information on cybercrime resources, visit www.ic3.gov.