The United States Department of Justice has confirmed the extradition of Tochuwku Nnebocha, a 43-year-old Nigerian, from Poland to face federal charges linked to an international fraud scheme that defrauded elderly Americans of millions of dollars.
According to a statement released on Monday, Nnebocha arrived in Miami, Florida, where he made his first court appearance after Polish authorities arrested him in April 2025 based on a US indictment filed in the Southern District of Florida. He had remained in Polish custody until his transfer to the United States this week.
Court filings allege that Nnebocha operated an inheritance fraud scheme spanning more than five years. Working with accomplices, he sent deceptive letters to elderly victims across the US, claiming they were entitled to multimillion-dollar inheritances from deceased relatives in Spain. The unsuspecting victims were asked to pay taxes, delivery fees, or administrative charges to secure their claims.
The Department of Justice said none of the promised inheritance funds existed. Instead, payments were funnelled through a network of manipulated intermediaries — often previous victims — who unknowingly forwarded money to the accused and his associates.
US prosecutors have charged Nnebocha with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as substantive counts of both offences. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. A district court judge will determine his punishment after reviewing statutory factors and sentencing guidelines.
The DOJ disclosed that two other members of the scheme, Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata and Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, extradited earlier from Portugal and the UK, have already pleaded guilty and received prison terms of more than eight years.
“This extradition underscores our commitment to holding perpetrators accountable, no matter where they operate, and to safeguarding seniors from fraudulent schemes that can devastate lives,” the DOJ statement read.
US authorities highlighted the case as part of a broader campaign against transnational scams targeting seniors, including romance fraud, lottery schemes, tech support fraud, and grandparent scams. The investigation involved cooperation with INTERPOL, the FBI Legal Attaché in Poland, and Polish authorities.
Nnebocha’s prosecution, the DOJ added, represents a significant step in dismantling international fraud networks and reinforcing protections for vulnerable populations.
