A U.S. court has sentenced fraudster Leslie Chinedu Mba to 19 years in prison. Mr Chinedu was handed the jail term for attempting to unlawfully obtain U.S. residency through fraudulent marriages and perpetrating a $4 million wire fraud.

The court also ordered his removal from the U.S. after serving out his jail term.

Mr Mba, 40, was sentenced on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. At his trial, the court heard that his victims were defrauded of over $4 million.

From April 2018 to December 2023, Mr Mba and others, both inside and outside the United States, carried out business email compromise and romance scams targeting unsuspecting victims.

The schemes began overseas, where co-conspirators gained unauthorised access to business email accounts and redirected payments to fraudulent bank accounts.

“Victims believed they were sending money to legitimate businesses, but Mba and others instead funnelled the funds to accounts they controlled. Mba and others acted as money mules, opening or using existing bank accounts to collect and move proceeds from the fraud.

“The scheme resulted in a total loss of $4 million. Additionally, Mba tried to obtain U.S. permanent residency through multiple fraudulent marriages after his initial application was denied and he was ordered to be removed from the country,” said the DoJ.

Mr Mba’s conviction and sentencing followed his December 4, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit false statements in immigration documents.

“Romance scams are among the lowest and most despicable forms of fraud because they prey upon the lonely and vulnerable, and disproportionately victimise senior citizens. These online scams Mba and his friends perpetrated jeopardised the livelihood of family-run businesses, the ability of elderly individuals to retire, and exploited the trust that fuels our economy.

“Even worse, Mba and his confederates committed these crimes while attempting to remain in our country under false pretences by deceiving immigration authorities. Now, Mba has prison to look forward to, followed by a one-way ticket back to Nigeria,” U.S. attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said.