A United States District Court in Houston has sentenced 40-year-old Nigerian national, Leslie Chinedu Mba, to 19 years in prison for orchestrating a $4 million fraud scheme and attempting to obtain residency through multiple fraudulent marriages to elderly women. Following his sentence, Mba is set to be deported.
Business Email Compromise and Romance Scams
According to a statement from US Attorney Nicholas Ganjei, Mba, along with co-conspirators, ran a series of business email compromise and romance scams between April 2018 and December 2023. Victims, believing they were transferring funds to legitimate businesses, were defrauded as the perpetrators redirected payments to accounts they controlled.
“The schemes began overseas, where co-conspirators gained unauthorised access to business email accounts and redirected payments to fraudulent bank accounts. Mba and others acted as money mules, opening or using existing accounts to collect and move the proceeds,” Ganjei explained.
The elaborate scheme resulted in losses exceeding $4 million to victims.
Sham Marriages to Secure Residency
Mba, who had previously been denied US residency, attempted to secure legal status by entering into multiple sham marriages. He pleaded guilty in December 2025 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to submit false statements in immigration documents.
“U.S. District Judge David Hittner has now ordered Mba to serve 228 months in federal prison. As he is not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment,” the statement read.
Co-Conspirators Also Sentenced
Four other co-conspirators—Grace Morisho (30), Rodgers Kadikilo (30), Kristin Smith (38), and Alexandra Golovko (36)—had previously pleaded guilty. Morisho, Kadikilo, and Smith received prison terms of 15–25 months, while Golovko received five years’ probation.
Broader Crackdown on Criminal Immigrants
Mba’s conviction adds to a growing number of Nigerians sentenced in the US. Reports indicate that over 113 Nigerians convicted of various crimes are slated for deportation under President Donald Trump’s ongoing crackdown on criminal immigrants.
