The United States has released Nigerian entrepreneur and convicted fraudster Obinwanne Okeke, popularly known as Invictus Obi, nearly six years after he was jailed for his role in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme.
Checks on the United States Bureau of Prisons (BOP) website show that Okeke was no longer in custody as of Wednesday, December 23, 2025. His status on the platform reads: “Not in BOP Custody as of: 12/23/2025,” confirming his release from federal detention.
Okeke, who was arrested in 2019, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in February 2021 after pleading guilty to charges linked to an $11 million business email compromise fraud. Based on his original sentence, he was expected to remain behind bars until September 3, 2028, making his release several years earlier than anticipated.
While the exact circumstances surrounding his early release remain unclear, reports suggest that deportation arrangements are underway in line with the terms of his plea agreement. Analysts have speculated that he may have been placed on supervised release or granted another form of legal reprieve, noting that a transfer to a state prison is unlikely since his conviction was for federal offences.
Okeke was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in August 2019 at Dulles International Airport in Virginia as he attempted to leave the United States. Investigators said he and his accomplices executed a sophisticated fraud scheme targeting Unatrac Holding Limited, the export sales office for Caterpillar heavy industrial and agricultural equipment.
Court documents revealed that in April 2018, a Unatrac executive was deceived through a phishing email that exposed login credentials. Using this access, the conspirators sent fake wire transfer requests backed by fraudulent invoices, diverting millions of dollars meant for the company. Authorities estimated that the operation netted about $11 million.
In Nigeria, a Federal High Court also ordered the temporary forfeiture of more than ₦280 million traced to Okeke’s bank accounts.
Before his downfall, Okeke, now 38, was a high-profile figure in African business circles. He gained international attention after being named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016 and was later recognised among the publication’s 100 Most Influential Young Africans. He was also known as the founder of Invictus Group, with reported interests spanning construction, agriculture, oil and gas, telecommunications, and real estate.
