The Federal Bureau of Investigations has filed a 16-count criminal indictment against  Kingsley Inegbedion and Efemena Igbe over Internet fraud and money-laundering allegations of $1.5 million.

According to the FBI in the indictment filed on May 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, Messrs Inegbedion and Igbe perpetrated romance scams and business email compromise posing as legit businesses to defraud innocent American citizens between April 2020 and May 2023.

Mr Inegbedion, a network engineer who ran training programmes for aspiring tech workers in Atlanta, was known previously to law enforcement, documents said.

Some of the banks include HSBC, Citi Bank, Synovus Bank, Navy Federal Credit Union Truist Bank, Associated Credit Union and Georgia’s Own Credit Union.

“The sham corporate entities did not have physical premises, earn legitimate income, or pay wages to employees,” the FBI said in the indictment.

They asked victims to wire money to these accounts which appeared legit and quickly distributed the fraudulent funds into other accounts within and outside the U.S. in an attempt to conceal the fraud.

In February 2021, $50,120 was withdrawn from Camtech’s Navy Federal account number ending with 4893. Another $60,000 was withdrawn in June 2021 from the same bank, but a different account number ended with 4854, registered under Kingtech Global Auto.

The FBI also found a purchase of $160,000 cashier’s cheque #4817 from Kingtech’s Truist account ending with 0619 in September 2022, among other fraudulent transactions 

At other times, the duo conspired with unknown persons who directed victims through emails and other means to pay into the fraudulent accounts.

Mr Igbe already fled to Nigeria after security agents invited him for questioning before the indictment was filed leaving Mr Inegbedion to answer and defend the charges preferred by the FBI.

The FBI is seeking a restitution of funds and forfeiture of property obtained through the fraud scheme to the U.S. government.

“Upon conviction of the offences alleged in counts one through sixteen of this indictment, the defendants, Efemena Igbe and Kingsley Inegbedion, shall forfeit to the United States of America, pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 982(a)(1), any property, real or personal, involved in such offence, and any property traceable to such property including, but not limited to, a money judgement, that is, a sum of money in United States currency representing the amount of property involved in the offence,” said the FBI statement.

Shortly after the grand jury returned the indictment, Mr Inegbedion was picked up and remanded in custody.