A Nigerian national, Leslie Mba, has been sentenced to 19 years in a United States federal prison for his involvement in a large-scale romance fraud and business email compromise scheme that caused losses estimated at about $4 million.
Mba, 40, who is not a U.S. citizen, is also expected to be placed in deportation proceedings after completing his jail term.
The sentence was delivered by David Hittner, a judge of the U.S. District Court, who ordered Mba to serve 228 months in prison.
The conviction followed Mba’s guilty plea to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy related to making false statements in immigration documents.
The ruling was announced on Monday in a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Prosecutors said that between April 2018 and December 2023, Mba worked with several accomplices in an international fraud network that targeted both individuals and companies through online romance scams and hijacked business email accounts.
Investigations revealed that members of the group unlawfully accessed corporate email systems, intercepted legitimate financial communications and redirected payments meant for genuine businesses into bank accounts controlled by the conspirators within the United States.
According to the prosecution, victims believed they were paying legitimate vendors, only for the funds to be diverted to accounts linked to Mba and his associates. Mba’s role in the operation included opening and using bank accounts to receive and move illicit proceeds, effectively acting as a money mule. Total losses from the scheme exceeded $4 million.
Commenting on the case, U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei described the offences as especially troubling, noting that romance scams often exploit emotional vulnerability.
“Romance scams are among the most reprehensible forms of fraud because they prey on the lonely and vulnerable, particularly elderly victims,” Ganjei said.
He added that Mba and his co-conspirators also attempted to remain in the U.S. by deceiving immigration authorities, stressing that Mba now faces both a lengthy prison term and removal from the country.
The scheme was also condemned by Jason Hudson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Houston, who said romance scams deliberately manipulate trust and leave victims financially and emotionally damaged.
He assured that law enforcement would continue to pursue those involved in such crimes.
Further findings showed that after an initial immigration application was denied and he was ordered to leave the U.S., Mba allegedly tried to obtain permanent residency through multiple sham marriages.
Four other Houston-based defendants, Grace Morisho, Rodgers Kadikilo, Kristin Smith and Alexandra Golovko, had earlier admitted their roles in the case.
Morisho, Kadikilo and Smith received prison sentences ranging from 15 to 25 months, while Golovko was sentenced to five years’ probation.
Mba remains in custody and will be transferred to a federal correctional facility designated by the Bureau of Prisons.