Two Delaware men have been sentenced to a combined 189 months in federal prison for an international cyber fraud scheme that targeted businesses and nonprofits, including victims in Iowa.
Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu, 25, and Harafat Mogaji, 26, were members of the U.S. Air Force at the time of the scheme. Federal prosecutors say that for nearly two years, the men used spam and phishing emails to steal usernames and passwords from employee email accounts.
The stolen credentials and fake email addresses were then used to impersonate businesses and their partners and redirect legitimate payments into accounts controlled by members of the conspiracy.
Federal court records show the scheme diverted more than $1.68 million from a victim in Iowa City to a bank account in Chicago. The defendants and their co-conspirators also diverted more than $720,000 from an Ohio victim and attempted to redirect other business payments in Iowa and across the country.
Prosecutors say the men also obtained financial information, including account and credit card numbers. That included credit card information belonging to a nonprofit organization in Pella.
Odimegwu was sentenced to 111 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $366,000 in restitution. Mogaji received a 78-month sentence and was ordered to pay more than $995,000 in restitution.
Both men were taken into custody following sentencing September 25. Each will also serve three years of supervised release after leaving prison.
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.