Two Nigerian athletes convicted of wire fraud in US
Two Nigerian athletes have been convicted in the United States for participating in a “complex fraud scheme”.
Emmanuel Ineh, a long jumper, and Toluwani Adebakin, a sprinter, pleaded guilty to “sending thousands of illegally obtained goods to fraudsters in Nigeria as part of a larger mail fraud, wire fraud and a money laundering conspiracy,” according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.
The statement dated November 10 read: “Two college athletes were convicted today before U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson of transferring thousands of dollars to Nigeria in a complex fraud scheme, have announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jackson field office.
“According to court documents, Emmanuel Ineh, 23, and Toluwani Adebakin, 25, pleaded guilty to violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957, for engaging in monetary transactions in derivative assets. of specified illegal activities, collectively sending tens of thousands of the illegally obtained products to fraudsters in Nigeria as part of an extensive mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
“The program involved track and field athletes from several institutions of higher education in the United States, with part of the plot operated out of Hattiesburg while Ineh and Adebakin were track and field teammates at William Carey University. William Carey University has been cooperative throughout the investigation.”
Ineh represented Nigeria at the 2018 Youth Olympics where he won silver.
Adebakin is a 200m and 400m runner.
Both defendants are scheduled for sentencing on February 15, 2023 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
