A 43-year-old Nigerian, Tochuwku Albert Nnebocha, has been extradited from Poland to the United States to face fraud charges linked to an international inheritance scam that prosecutors say ran for over five years.
Nnebocha appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett in Miami on Wednesday, following his arrest in Poland back in April 2025. He is accused of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, alongside multiple counts of both crimes. If found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
According to U.S. court filings, Nnebocha and his associates allegedly tricked elderly Americans by sending personalized letters claiming they were entitled to multimillion-dollar inheritances from supposed relatives in Spain. Victims were then asked to pay various “fees” and “taxes” before they could access the fake funds.
💸 Prosecutors revealed that the victims unknowingly sent money through intermediaries in the U.S.—many of whom were also previous scam victims persuaded to act as go-betweens. Sadly, not a single victim ever received an inheritance.
Two other men connected to the scheme, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata (extradited from Portugal) and Ehis Lawrence Akhimie (extradited from the U.K.), have already pleaded guilty. Both were sentenced to 97 months in prison each by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman.
Prosecutors stressed that the case is a warning to fraudsters across the world. “This extradition underscores our commitment to pursue fraudsters wherever they are found,” they said while confirming Nnebocha’s first court appearance.
