This archive report was first published on 20 June 2020.
On June 20, 2020, the US justice system dealt a severe blow to Nigerian entrepreneur Obinwanne Okeke, who pleaded guilty to charges of internet fraud worth $11m (Ksh1.2 billion).
Once celebrated in Forbes Africa's 30 under 30 list in 2016, Okeke, now 32, is set to be sentenced in October for his part in an email phishing scheme that targeted Unatrac Holding Limited, the export sales office for Caterpillar heavy industrial and farm equipment.
According to court documents, Okeke and his co-conspirators obtained and compiled the credentials of hundreds of victims between 2015 and 2019, sending fraudulent wire transfer requests and fake invoices before transferring the funds overseas.
