MIRIAM NNOLI 
The United States (US) Department of Justice on Thursday disclosed that a Nigerian, Edwin Okoronkwo, who was sentenced to 75 months imprisonment for defrauding some Americans, will be deported after completing his jail term.
New Telegraph gathered that Okoronkwo was said to have connived with his wife, Julie Okoronkwo, who was also sentenced to 25 months imprisonment for her role in the catfishing scheme that targeted unsuspecting Americans.
According to the statement, the convicts who were permanent residents of the US, used stolen identities to disguise themselves as a high-ranking member of the US military to defraud their victims.
It also noted that to make their scam real, Julie often used phone calls to lure the victims into believing the authenticity of their claims. The convicts were also said to have obtained money from their victims through postal services.
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The judge also ordered Edwin to pay restitution to the tune of $342,535.00 to some of the victims, a supervised release for three years and deportation.
The statement read, “Edwin Okoronkwo, a citizen of Nigeria and a lawful permanent resident of the United States, and his spouse, Julie Okoronkwo, residing in Nebraska, used “catfishing” schemes to obtain money from victims via the Internet. In doing so, they convinced victims to send money using false online social media personas.
“In some instances, they claimed to be high-ranking members of the United States military on overseas missions. Through the “catfishing” schemes, victims from all over the country were tricked into sending money through the United States Postal Service and other commercial carriers such as FedEx and UPS.
“Julie Okoronkwo contacted ‘catfishing’ victims over the phone to further convince them of the legitimacy of their need for cash and obtained from her workplace – a hospital – victims’ means of identification, including their social security numbers and Nebraska driver’s licence information.”
