A United States federal court has sentenced Nigerian national Tochukwu Albert Nnebocha to 97 months in prison for participating in a transnational inheritance fraud scheme that defrauded elderly and vulnerable Americans of more than $6 million, according to a statement from the United States Department of Justice.
US authorities have pursued a series of prosecutions against individuals involved in international inheritance fraud schemes that target elderly people with false claims of multimillion-dollar inheritances in order to extract upfront fees and payments.
The Department of Justice’s Office of Public Affairs published details of Nnebocha’s sentencing in a press release outlining the case and conviction.
According to the Department of Justice, Tochukwu Albert Nnebocha, 44, pleaded guilty in US federal court to conspiring to commit mail fraud and wire fraud related to his role in the inheritance fraud operation.
Prosecutors said the scheme operated for more than seven years and involved sending personalised letters to elderly Americans falsely claiming they were entitled to a multimillion-dollar inheritance from deceased relatives.
The letters instructed recipients to pay supposed delivery fees, taxes and other charges before receiving their purported inheritance. US authorities said Nnebocha and his co-conspirators defrauded more than 400 victims of over $6 million through the scheme.
The court sentenced Nnebocha to 97 months in prison and ordered three years of supervised release following his term. In addition, he has been ordered to pay more than $6.8 million in restitution to the victims of the scheme.
US authorities said Nnebocha was arrested in Poland in April 2025 and extradited to the United States in September 2025. His guilty plea was entered in November 2025 before sentencing.
Sentencing in international fraud cases reflects ongoing efforts by US law enforcement and judicial authorities to address transnational crime that exploits elderly and vulnerable populations.
Prosecutors involved in the case emphasised that the substantial prison term and restitution order demonstrated the seriousness with which such schemes are treated under US law.
