Obinwanne Okeke aka Invictus Obi has pleaded guilty to computer and wire fraud in the United States where he is standing trial.
As a result of his guilty plea, Invictus Obi may be looking at a 20-year jail term. The next hearing for the case is expected to be held on October 22, 2020.
United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation said Invictus Obi and at least six other persons were involved in the crimes.
“There is a probable cause to believe Okeke has conspired with several individuals to access computers without authorisation, and using such access to cause the fraudulent wire transfer of funds,” FBI’s special agent Marshall Ward said in an affidavit he deposed to before Justice Lawrence Leonard, in Norfolk, Virginia, on August 2.
Obinwanne “Invictus Obi” Okeke was arrested in August last year by the FBI for conspiracy to commit wire and computer fraud.
According to reports, the FBI was contacted by the representatives of Unatrac Holding Limited, the export sales office for Caterpillar heavy industrial and firm equipment in 2018, after being defrauded of $11 million through an email compromise.
Unatrac’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) got a phishing email containing a web link in April 2018, purportedly to the login page of the CFO’s online email account hosted by Microsoft Office365.
When he eventually opened the link, he was directed to a phishing website designed to replicate the original Office365 login page.
Thinking it was a real page, the CFO entered his login details which were captured by an illegitimate user who was in charge of the fake website.
Between April 6 and April 20, 2018, the invader accessed the CFO’s account and made 15 fraudulent payments. In some cases, several payments were sent to the same account. The invoices were processed because members of Unatrac’s finance thought they were from their CFO.
Invictus Obi is on a growing list of Nigerians who have been arrested for internet fraud. Some of them include Hushpuppi, Mompha, and Dammy Krane amongst others.
