FBI arrested Invictus Obi at the airport just before ‘escaping’ US (Photos)

[Edoman]

FBI arrested Invictus Obi at the airport just before ‘escaping’ US — risks 20 years in prison

Obinwanne Okeke, Invictus Group CEO, who is popularly known as Invictus Obi, was arrested at the Dulles International Airport, while leaving the United States, TheCable can report.

According to information obtained from the US federal court in Virginia, US, Okeke was scheduled to return to Nigeria four day after a complaint was filed against him at the court, and was arrested at the airport, just before he got on the flight to Nigeria.

An order of detention pending trial was filed on August 2, 2019, on the grounds that “by a preponderance of evidence that no condition or combination of conditions of release will reasonably assure the defendant’s (Okeke) appearance as required”.

A source familiar about the matter told TheCable via mail that “the attached court documents from the US federal court in Norfolk, Virginia confirm that Okeke was indeed arrested by the FBI, on August 6 at the Dulles International Airport”.

According to his arrest warrant obtained by TheCable, he was taken for violation of US laws as it concerns “conspiracy to commit computer fraud” and “conspiracy to commit wire fraud”.


The Arrest Warrant

The affidavit sworn by Marshall Ward, a special agent with FBI, had said as of August 2, 2019, “the date of this application, OKEKE is currently in the United States, and is scheduled to depart the country on August 6, 2019”.

“Therefore, a warrant for his arrest is immediately required to apprehend him and prevent his retum to Nigeria, where he would be beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement.”

THE BACKGROUND

In June 2018, Unatrac Holding Limited, a company which deals in sales of heavy industrial and farm equipment, was said to have approached the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) over a breach in the email account of its chief financial officer where a fraudulent transfer of funds was done.

The intruder was said to have sent phishing emails containing a web link, purportedly to the login page of the CFO’s online email account hosted by Microsoft Office 365.

Believing the link to be genuine, the CFO was said to have imputed his username and password from where the intruder got full access to the account and sent a fraudulent wire transfer request to the company’s internal financial team.

Acting under the impression that the email emanated from the CFO, the finance staff processed approximately 15 payments between April 11 to 19, 2018, totalling $11 million.

‘INVICTUS OBI MAY GET CLOSE TO 20-YEAR JAIL TERM’


Okeke, who requested to for substitution of legal counsel is now being represented by John O. Iweanoge, II and THE IWEANOGES FIRM. The Iweanoges took over from Rahul Sharma, a US federal public defender.

Based on precedence, Okeke could get between five and twenty years jail term for conspiracy to commit computer and wire fraud.

According to the Legal Information Institute, anyone who “knowingly and with intent to defraud, accesses a protected computer without authorization, or exceeds authorized access, and by means of such conduct furthers the intended fraud and obtains anything of value, unless the object of the fraud and the thing obtained consists only of the use of the computer and the value of such use is not more than $5,000 in any 1-year period”.

If the financial value of information taken exceeds $5,000, the convicted shall be subject to a fine or imprisonment for not more than ten years, or both.

As for wire fraud, a person convicted for a single act of wire fraud can result in fines and up to 20 years in prison, according to criminal defence attorneys in the United States.

Persons familiar with wire fraud cases in the US told TheCable that a combination of these sentences could result in a higher jail term for the estranged Nigerian entrepreneur.

Okeke has since faded of social media.

https://www.thecable.ng/fbi-arrested-inv...ssion=true

[Edoman]

$11 Million Fraud: Obinwanne Okeke Faces 30 Years In Jail - FBI







Obinwanne Okeke, the Nigerian young ‘businessman’ who was recently arrested in the United States for $11 million fraud, could spend up to 30 years in jail if convicted.

Mr Okeke was charged with two counts of computer fraud and wire fraud, which carry a maximum 10 and 20 years respectively, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

Mr Okeke, widely known as Invictus Obi, is being remanded at 401 Courthouse Square, Alexandria, VA 22314, which serves as the district headquarters of the U.S. Marshall Service.

His remand order was issued at a preliminary hearing shortly after his arrest.

Mr Okeke was arrested on August 6 in Alexandria, Virginia, just moments before he was scheduled to return to Nigeria.

He appeared before Michael Nachmanoff, a magistrate with the District Court of Eastern District of Virginia, on August 7 to answer charges of wire fraud.

The charges were investigated by the F.B.I. and filed against Mr Okeke by the U.S. Department of Justice, with both authorities saying they were convinced that Mr Okeke duped a UK subsidiary of Caterpillar up to $11 million in business email fraud, amongst other charges.

Mr Okeke has since hired John Iweanoge, a Washington D.C. criminal attorney of Nigerian origin, as his lead defence counsel.


Indefinite remand


Mr Okeke did not enter a plea at his initial arraignment, but he was remanded in custody indefinitely in accordance with the U.S. federal laws on the nature of the criminal complaints against him, according to Joshua Stueve, a spokesperson for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

His remand would last until a jury has been selected to look into the charges against him, which may take several weeks.

“It may take another two weeks before a new date is fixed for him to appear in court again,” Mr Stueve told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday.

The spokesperson, however, warned that Mr Okeke would likely get below the maximum sentence.

“Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors,” Mr Stueve said.


https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-....html/amp/



[url=https://www.nairaland.com/5386251/11-million-fraud-obinwanne-okeke#81708259][/url]

[Edoman]

TechCapon

5 Ways How The Arrest Of Invictus Will Affect Hardworking Nigerian Entrepreneurs




Forbes celebrated Abuja based “entrepreneur” and CEO of Invictus group, Obinwanne “Invictus” Obi Okeke who rose to fame after he appeared on the cover of Forbes in 2016. Later that same year, he appeared on Forbes Africa “30 under 30” list as a billionaire and “inspiring” entrepreneur. Early in the month of August, he was arrested by the FBI after a 13-month investigation and the aftermath of that arrest has been massive. He reportedly stole over $11 million (N3.7 billion) from Unatrac Holding Limited. Apart from the 77 Nigerian fraudsters arrested and declared wanted by the FBI, hard-working Nigerians are also feeling the heat of his fraudulent activities.

In this post, TechCapon will take out time to explain 5 major ways Nigerian entrepreneurs will be affected by his arrest.



1. NIGERIANS WHO DO ONLINE BUSINESSES AND FREELANCERS WILL BE AFFECTED:

Those honest Nigerians who engage in several online businesses and transaction should brace for the hard times ahead. This is because the level of trust foreigners now have for Nigerians at the moment is next to zero.

2. FUTURE NIGERIAN STARTUPS WILL FACE CHALLENGES IN GETTING FUNDS

The biggest challenge facing Nigerian Startups and entrepreneurs is accessing of funds. That challenge is even about to get more critical as new Startups will face a massive challenge in accessing funds from investors such as Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists because our reputation is already destroyed.

3. CHALLENGES IN GETTING VISA APPLICATIONS FOR NIGERIAN TRAVELLERS



Massive sweep in Via rejections has already started hitting Nigerians really hard. Especially for the USA and Europeans countries. Since our reputation has already been destroyed, foreign embassies will make it more difficult to gain access to their countries slamming the door shut in the face of honest Nigerians.

4. REDUCTION IN INVITATIONS TO LEADERSHIP GATHERINGS

Invictus Obi attended almost all the major leadership gatherings for African Entrepreneurs. He spoke at the Wharton Africa Business Forum. The forum brings successful entrepreneurs together to discuss ways to push Africa forward. A year later Invictus was a speaker at Yaba TEDx in Lagos (DNA OF THE NIGERIAN ENTREPRENEUR). After his widely publicized arrest, big organizations will definitely think twice before inviting other Nigerian entrepreneurs for any major event.

5. ESCALATED VICTIMIZATION AND INTIMIDATION OF YOUNG MEN BY SARS

This is the most obvious one on the list as we see it happen every day. Almost every young man on the street who dress well is a yahoo boy as far as policemen are concerned. You drive a Mercedes Benz your name is sorry and better don’t wear dreadlocks while driving it. That’s what the country has been reduced to for Nigerians.



Do you know other ways the arrest of Invictus Obi can affect honest Nigerians, let us know in the comment section?

SOURCE:https://techcapon.com/5-ways-how-the-arr...epreneurs/

[Edoman]

Obinwanne Okeke "InvictusObi" Pleads Guilty To ₦4.2 Billion Fraud 

Obinwanne Okeke, the Nigerian businessman owner of Invictus Group who was arrested in the United States last year, has pleaded guilty to $11 million (N4.2 billion) fraud.

Mr Okeke, 32, admitted to American prosecutors that he was involved in computer-based fraud between 2015 and 2019.

Joshua Stueve, a spokesperson for the United States District Court for Eastern District of Virginia, told PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday evening that Mr Okeke could spend 20 years maximum penalty in an American jail.

He would be sentenced on October 22, Mr Stueve said.

“A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors,” the court official said.

Robert Krask, an American judge of the district, certified the guilty plea on Thursday morning to clear the paths for Mr Okeke’s sentencing.

Mr Okeke and other alleged conspirators said to still be at large were accused of targeting American businesses in a probe led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Unatrac, a subsidiary of heavy equipment giant Caterpillar, was amongst the companies said to have been targeted by the cartel in a business email compromise scheme for several years. Over $11 million was said to have been traced to the ring, amidst claims that Mr Okeke allegedly used proceeds of his illicit dealings to build a business empire in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/398367-just-in-obinwanne-okeke-pleads-guilty-to-n4-2-billion-fraud.html

[Edoman]

Full details of the deal Obinwanne "Invictus Obi" Okeke had with the US government after pleading guilty to N4.2 billion fraud







Full details of the deal Forbes celebrated Obinwanne Okeke had with the US government after pleading guilty to N4.2 billion fraud has emerged.  
 
LIB reported earlier that the Nigerian man who would be sentenced on October 22 for a potential lengthy period that could see him spend 20 years behind bars, admitted his involvement in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and agreed to cooperate with American authorities on Thursday June 18. 
 
With the plea bargain he got, Okeke who was initially indicted on two counts of computer and wire fraud will only be found guilty of wire fraud while the second charge that carries lesser sentence and fines will be dropped. Premium Times reported that he will also forfeit all cash and asset directly or indirectly linked to him as part of recovery mechanism against the $11 million fraud.
 
With the deal, he would enjoy immunity from prosecution on the same matter in the U.S. Eastern District of Virginia. The district would also confirm the validity of the plea agreement in case Mr Okeke is charged over the same offence in other jurisdiction.
 
Though a federal judge would decide whether to pursue partial, full or no forfeiture against Mr Okeke at the point of sentencing, he will also lose his rights to appeal the sentence and any fines that may be imposed against him at sentencing.
 
While prosecutors and defence teams have been assigned a slew of tasks that must be carried out, it is expected that the defence lawyer must give three days’ notice to the probation office to see Mr Okeke on the modalities of his life in prison.
 
The probation office which will submit the report of its investigation on what Mr Okeke’s life in prison would be was given 35 days before October 22 sentencing, to do so. 
 
Mr Okeke might also be sent to Nigeria to complete his prison sentence if his immigration status in the U.S. are resolved, and it includes 14 months he would have spent in prison by the time of his sentencing on October 22.
 
The federal court at sentencing will accept letters if any, that attest to Mr Okeke’s character and call for lighter penalties. It was also confirmed that he admitted to knowingly, intentionally and unlawfully venturing into crime and not coming into it by error. 

[Edoman]

U.S. postpones sentencing of convicted Nigerian online fraudster, Obinwanne Okeke







The sentencing of  36-year-old and Chairman of Abuja-based Invictus Group, Obinwanne Okeke has been postponed until next year. 
 
Recall that Okeke was arrested by FBI officials in 2019 on charges of conspiring with some individuals, some of whom remain at large to defraud American companies and individuals over a period of at least four years.
 
He pleaded guilty to allegation of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and agreed to cooperate with the American authorities in June, after months of denying his involvement in the crime.
 
The sentencing of Okeke whose conviction might see him spend 20 years behind bars with up to $250,000 in fines amongst other potential penalties, was initially scheduled for October 22. 
 
However on Monday October 5, the U.S. court sitting in the Eastern District of Virginia announced that it will be resetting Mr Okeke’s sentencing to February 16, 2021. He will still  be remanded in a U.S. federal prison.