Nigerian man jailed for over eight years in US for $6m inheritance scam

A United States court has sentenced Nigerian national Tochukwu Albert Nnebocha to 97 months in prison for his role in a long-running inheritance fraud targeting elderly and vulnerable Americans.

Overview of the scam and how victims were targeted.

According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the 44-year-old Nnebocha, along with co-conspirators, orchestrated a transnational scheme over more than seven years, sending hundreds of personalised letters to US citizens falsely claiming they were entitled to multimillion-dollar inheritances from deceased relatives.

The DOJ explained that victims were instructed to pay various “fees” before accessing the supposed funds. In total, the scam defrauded over 400 Americans of more than $6 million.

The statement added:

“The conspirators told victims they needed to send money for delivery fees, taxes, and other costs before they could receive the inheritance. This scheme exploited vulnerable people across the United States for financial gain.”

Details of Nnebocha’s arrest, plea, and prison term.

Nnebocha was arrested in Poland in April 2025 and extradited to the US in September the same year. He pleaded guilty in November 2025 to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud.

At sentencing, the court also ordered three years of supervised release and restitution exceeding $6.8 million to the victims.

The DOJ noted this is the second case connected to the international fraud network, with eight other co-conspirators from Nigeria, the UK, Spain, and Portugal already convicted.

Investigations involved the US Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, FBI Legal Attache in Poland, INTERPOL, and local authorities in Poland, among others.

Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Joshua D. Rothman of the DOJ’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.