Nigerian businessman Obinwanne “Invictus” Okeke has been released from a United States prison after serving about six years for his role in a large-scale fraud scheme that targeted American companies. U.S. prison records confirm that Okeke, who was arrested in 2019, is no longer in custody, with deportation arrangements to Nigeria now underway.
Okeke was convicted for orchestrating a sophisticated computer and wire fraud operation that saw him and his associates steal about $11 million between 2015 and 2019. He hacked corporate email systems, intercepted payment instructions and diverted funds meant for legitimate businesses, including an industrial machinery exporter. In 2021, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison but appears to have benefited from sentence reduction measures under U.S. prison reform policies.
Before his conviction, Okeke was widely celebrated as a rising African entrepreneur and was featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016. His dramatic fall from prominence also led to the forfeiture of hundreds of millions of naira from his Nigerian bank accounts, marking one of the most high-profile fraud cases involving a Nigerian national in recent years.
