
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has initiated legal action against Kingsley Inegbedion and Efemena Igbe, alleging their involvement in a $1.5 million internet fraud and money laundering scheme. Filed on May 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, the indictment outlines 16 criminal charges against them.
According to the FBI, Inegbedion and Igbe purportedly conducted romance scams and business email compromises, posing as legitimate businesses to deceive unsuspecting American citizens between April 2020 and May 2023. Inegbedion, described as a network engineer who conducted training programs for tech aspirants in Atlanta, had previous interactions with law enforcement.
The indictment details how the defendants operated sham corporate entities without physical premises, legitimate income, or employee wages. Victims were instructed to wire money into these seemingly genuine accounts, from where the funds were swiftly dispersed across various accounts within and outside the U.S. in an effort to conceal the fraudulent activities.
Specific instances of fraudulent transactions include withdrawals totaling $110,120 from Camtech’s Navy Federal account and a $160,000 cashier’s check from Kingtech’s Truist account, among others.
Efemena Igbe evaded authorities by returning to Nigeria after being summoned for questioning, leaving Kingsley Inegbedion to face the charges alone. The FBI is seeking restitution of the defrauded funds and the forfeiture of properties acquired through the illicit scheme.
In accordance with U.S. law, upon conviction, Inegbedion and Igbe could be required to forfeit any property linked to the crimes outlined in the indictment. Shortly after the grand jury handed down the charges, Kingsley Inegbedion was apprehended and remains in custody pending legal proceedings.