A Nigerian man, James Junior Aliyu, has pleaded guilty in the U.S. to wire fraud and money laundering.
He admitted roles in a $4.1m email scam and faces up to 20 years in prison.
A Nigerian national, James Junior Aliyu, 30, has admitted guilt in the United States to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering connected to a business email compromise (BEC) scheme.
Aliyu, who lived in South Africa at the time of the crime, was extradited to the U.S. after his arrest abroad. He is the third and final defendant charged in this particular conspiracy to plead guilty. Eight other individuals had earlier entered guilty pleas in related cases before the District of Maryland.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, announced the development on August 26, 2025, alongside Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officials.
According to court documents, Aliyu, together with Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, 30, and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu, 31, all Nigerians who also resided in South Africa, were indicted in June 2019 for their roles in the fraud. Their arrests in 2022 outside the U.S. led to extraditions so they could face trial.
The plea agreement reveals that between February and July 2017, Aliyu and his partners hacked into email accounts belonging to individuals and businesses, then used forged addresses to send fraudulent payment instructions. Victims were tricked into transferring funds into so-called “drop accounts” controlled by the syndicate.
The group also engaged in laundering the stolen funds, moving money through various accounts, withdrawing cash, issuing checks, and purchasing cashier’s checks to disguise ownership and conceal the source of the illicit proceeds.
Court filings show that the intended loss from Aliyu’s involvement was more than $4.1 million, while the actual losses exceeded $1.57 million. Of that amount, Aliyu personally controlled at least $1.19 million. He is required to forfeit that sum and pay restitution of not less than $2.39 million to victims.
Aliyu faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing, which has been scheduled for November 24, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman.
U.S. authorities praised the cooperation of South African justice and law enforcement agencies, as well as the Office of International Affairs and the Canadian Department of Justice, for their roles in the arrests and extraditions of Aliyu, Echefu, and Simon-Ebo.
