Two collegiate athletes of Nigerian origin: Emmanuel Ineh, 23, and Toluwani Adebakin, 25, have been convicted before United States of America District Judge Kristi Johnson for transferring thousands of dollars to Nigeria as part of a complex fraud scheme.
The conviction of the two Nigerians was announced in a statement by the United States Department of Justice.
The statement on the website of the US Department of Justice said Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jackson Field Office made the announcement.
According to court documents, Ineh and Adebakin pleaded guilty to violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957, for engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activities, collectively sending tens of thousands of illicitly obtained proceeds to fraudsters in Nigeria as part of a larger mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.
The scheme involved Track and Field athletes from multiple higher learning institutions in the United States, with part of the conspiracy being operated out of Hattiesburg while the Ineh and Adebakin were Track and Field teammates at William Carey University.
William Carey University was cooperative throughout the investigation.
Both defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on February 15, 2023 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant US Attorney Andrew W. Eichner is prosecuting the case.