Leslie Chinedu Mba, a 40-year-old Houston resident, has been sentenced to 228 months in federal prison for orchestrating a multi-million dollar romance scam and business email compromise scheme. Following his 19-year sentence, Mba faces mandatory removal proceedings as he is not a United States citizen and attempted to maintain his residency through fraudulent marriages.
A federal judge in Houston handed down a 228-month prison sentence to Leslie Chinedu Mba for his leadership role in a wide-reaching wire fraud and immigration document conspiracy. Between 2018 and 2023, Mba and several co-conspirators operated a sophisticated network that targeted vulnerable individuals and businesses both domestically and abroad. The court revealed that the group successfully defrauded their victims of over $4 million, with a significant portion of the crimes involving the emotional manipulation of elderly Americans through romance scams.
The fraudulent operation relied on two primary methods to generate illicit funds. Overseas co-conspirators first gained unauthorized access to corporate email accounts to redirect business payments into fraudulent bank accounts. Simultaneously, the group engaged in romance scams, where they exploited the trust and loneliness of individuals to convince them to send money under false pretenses. Mba acted as a primary money mule, opening and managing various bank accounts to collect and launder the proceeds of these illegal activities.
Mba’s legal troubles extended beyond financial fraud to include significant violations of immigration law. After his initial application for legal status was denied and he was ordered to leave the country, Mba attempted to bypass federal law by engaging in multiple fraudulent marriages to secure permanent residency. These actions led to his additional guilty plea for conspiracy to commit false statements in immigration documents, further complicating his legal standing and ensuring his eventual deportation.
While Mba received the most significant sentence, several other Houston residents were also implicated and punished for their involvement in the scheme. Grace Morisho, Rodgers Kadikilo, and Kristin Smith received prison sentences ranging from 15 to 25 months, while Alexandra Golovko was sentenced to five years of probation. Federal officials emphasized that while the financial losses were staggering, the emotional devastation inflicted upon the elderly victims of the romance scams was a primary focus of the investigation and the subsequent harsh sentencing.
Mba will remain in federal custody until he is transferred to a Bureau of Prisons facility to begin his 19-year term. The investigation was a collaborative effort between the FBI and the Houston Police Department, reflecting a broader commitment to prosecuting individuals who weaponize digital communications to exploit the public. Once his prison term is completed, Mba will be handed over to immigration authorities to finalize the removal process that he previously attempted to evade through fraud.
Source: Nigerian Citizen Sentenced For $4M Conspiracy To Obtain US Residency Through Fraud