Georgia jury finds Nigerian citizen guilty of internet fraud

ATLANTA (WDEF) – An American jury has convicted a Nigerian citizen for cyber scams.

Olayinka Olaniyi was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, computer fraud and aggravated identity theft.

His Nigerian partner, Damilola Solomon Ibiwoye, pleaded guilty to similar charges in January.

Federal prosecutors in Atlanta say the pair were behind phishing scams that went after American universities, including Georgia Tech and the University of Virginia.

They targeted university employees by sending them official looking emails to get their logins and passwords.

With those, they were able to steal payroll deposits by changing their bank accounts.

They also used the logins to get to worker W2 forms, and then filed fraudulent tax returns.

Prosecutors say they made $6 million.

But they had to get it out of the country.

So they used dating sites to pose as cyber- connections.

They would convince victims to give them their bank account information so they could sent them some money.

They would then use those accounts to launder their money and get it out of the country.

But they did it from Malaysia, which has extradition to the United States.

“These defendants used trickery to lure and exploit their unsuspecting victims, but they will now face the consequences of their scheme in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “We are grateful for the collaborative work by our national and international law enforcement partners in this case, and we will continue to vigorously prosecute cybercriminals who hide behind the anonymity of the internet to commit these types of crimes.”

Ibiwoye got 3 years and 3 months in federal prison while Olaniyi will be sentenced in October.

The case was investigated by the FBI.

“The FBI is determined to arrest criminals who believe they can hide out on the internet, protected by geographic boundaries, and prey on the American people and our institutions,” said J. C. “Chris” Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Division.

“This case clearly shows the benefits of global cooperation between the United States and international law enforcement.”