I am reposting this story with the right source because I got a call yesterday from a lady who said She is a Lawyer and that Mr Chukwuemeka Onyegbula is her client and that the story is fake....She subtly commanded me to remove the story that i posted yesterday.
I told her the story had an Original source and asked her how she would call them and the lots of other websites to demand the story be pulled down.
She pretended not to know that the story originated from an International daily new website and said she would call everyone to bring down the story.
She didnt send me a mail as Instructed so that i could forward her the Original link so I am reposting for her to see so that she can stop calling people to make subtle threats
The original report said it is unclear if Mr Onyebgula has an attorney and it looks like he does and I am willing to share her contact with Federal Prosecutors.
The story on from seattletimes.com
''Barely a month after a Nigerian citizen was arrested in connection with last year’s $650 million unemployment fraud scheme in Washington state, a second Nigerian man has been indicted on strikingly similar charges.
Federal prosecutors say Chukwuemeka Onyegbula, a 38-year-old IT engineer at a Nigerian oil company, used stolen identities and a simple email hack to make off with roughly $290,000 in unemployment insurance benefits from Washington and other states, and around $50,000 in federal disaster loans, according to an indictment returned Wednesday in federal district court in Tacoma.
Onyegbula, who used the alias Phillip Carter, was arrested June 3 by Nigerian authorities and is being detained in Nigeria, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle. An earlier federal filing indicated that prosecutors hope to bring Onyegbula, a resident of Lagos, to the United States, but the spokesperson declined to comment on any extradition process.
It was also unclear whether Onyegbula, who faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and multiple accounts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, has an attorney.
Wednesday’s indictment follows the May 15 arrest of another Nigerian man, Abidemi Rufai, in a New York airport on charges of using stolen identities to pilfer $350,000 in jobless benefits from Washington state. Rufai, a suspended Nigerian government official, is seeking to be released on bail while awaiting federal trial in Tacoma.
Although the latest indictment does not link Onyegbula to Rufai, charging documents suggest he employed similar techniques to steal the funds.
Notably, like Rufai, Onyegbula used a feature of Gmail, Google’s free email service, to file multiple claims for benefits with the Washington state Employment Security Department and other states, according to the indictment.
Holders of a single Gmail account can create dozens of additional email addresses simply by adding one or more periods to the original address. Because the Gmail system doesn’t recognize periods, any emails sent to those so-called dot variant addresses are all routed to the inbox of the original Gmail address.
According to prosecutors, Onyegbula and unnamed co-conspirators used his original Gmail address, phillipcarter002@gmail.com, to create dozens of variants such as phil.lip.carter002@gmail.com.
Onyegbula and co-conspirators used the email addresses along with stolen Social Security numbers and other personal data to file at least 253 unemployment claims with the ESD and unemployment agencies in Arizona, California and 14 other states, prosecutors say. At least $289,604 in benefits were paid out on those claims, according to a June 7 complaint.
Onyegbula and co-conspirators used a similar approach in filing at least 63 applications for so-called Economic Injury Disaster Loans through the federal Small Business Administration, according to the complaint. Those applications netted Onyegbula and his co-conspirators at least $53,900, prosecutors say.
The status of the stolen funds remains under investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s spokesperson said.
Of the roughly $643 million stolen from the ESD last year, $370 million was recovered, according to the latest Washington state audit of the fraud.
Investigators said they also found indications that the phillipcarter002@gmail.com account was used to seek fraudulent tax refunds. That’s potentially another parallel with Rufai, who also attempted to defraud the Internal Revenue Service of nearly $1.6 million, according to a May 28 federal filing.
But as with Rufai’s case, Onyegbula’s Gmail account also appears to have helped federal investigators track him down.
According to the complaint, the Gmail account contained information about a bank account in Onyegbula’s name, his U.S. visa application, and a work email from a Nigerian-based oil company, Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Nigeria Limited.
A LinkedIn profile lists an individual named Chukwuemeka Onyegbula as an “associate IT system engineer” at Pan Ocean Oil Corporation, and as a 2005 graduate in computer engineering from the University of Benin.
This case is being investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice and the cooperation of the ESD
Federal prosecutors say Chukwuemeka Onyegbula, a 38-year-old IT engineer at a Nigerian oil company, used stolen identities and a simple email hack to make off with roughly $290,000 in unemployment insurance benefits from Washington and other states, and around $50,000 in federal disaster loans, according to an indictment returned Wednesday in federal district court in Tacoma.
Onyegbula, who used the alias Phillip Carter, was arrested June 3 by Nigerian authorities and is being detained in Nigeria, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle. An earlier federal filing indicated that prosecutors hope to bring Onyegbula, a resident of Lagos, to the United States, but the spokesperson declined to comment on any extradition process.
It was also unclear whether Onyegbula, who faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and multiple accounts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, has an attorney.
Wednesday’s indictment follows the May 15 arrest of another Nigerian man, Abidemi Rufai, in a New York airport on charges of using stolen identities to pilfer $350,000 in jobless benefits from Washington state. Rufai, a suspended Nigerian government official, is seeking to be released on bail while awaiting federal trial in Tacoma.
Although the latest indictment does not link Onyegbula to Rufai, charging documents suggest he employed similar techniques to steal the funds.
Notably, like Rufai, Onyegbula used a feature of Gmail, Google’s free email service, to file multiple claims for benefits with the Washington state Employment Security Department and other states, according to the indictment.
Holders of a single Gmail account can create dozens of additional email addresses simply by adding one or more periods to the original address. Because the Gmail system doesn’t recognize periods, any emails sent to those so-called dot variant addresses are all routed to the inbox of the original Gmail address.
According to prosecutors, Onyegbula and unnamed co-conspirators used his original Gmail address, phillipcarter002@gmail.com, to create dozens of variants such as phil.lip.carter002@gmail.com.
Onyegbula and co-conspirators used the email addresses along with stolen Social Security numbers and other personal data to file at least 253 unemployment claims with the ESD and unemployment agencies in Arizona, California and 14 other states, prosecutors say. At least $289,604 in benefits were paid out on those claims, according to a June 7 complaint.
Onyegbula and co-conspirators used a similar approach in filing at least 63 applications for so-called Economic Injury Disaster Loans through the federal Small Business Administration, according to the complaint. Those applications netted Onyegbula and his co-conspirators at least $53,900, prosecutors say.
The status of the stolen funds remains under investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s spokesperson said.
Of the roughly $643 million stolen from the ESD last year, $370 million was recovered, according to the latest Washington state audit of the fraud.
Investigators said they also found indications that the phillipcarter002@gmail.com account was used to seek fraudulent tax refunds. That’s potentially another parallel with Rufai, who also attempted to defraud the Internal Revenue Service of nearly $1.6 million, according to a May 28 federal filing.
But as with Rufai’s case, Onyegbula’s Gmail account also appears to have helped federal investigators track him down.
According to the complaint, the Gmail account contained information about a bank account in Onyegbula’s name, his U.S. visa application, and a work email from a Nigerian-based oil company, Pan Ocean Oil Corporation Nigeria Limited.
A LinkedIn profile lists an individual named Chukwuemeka Onyegbula as an “associate IT system engineer” at Pan Ocean Oil Corporation, and as a 2005 graduate in computer engineering from the University of Benin.
This case is being investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice and the cooperation of the ESD
These greedy thieves keep disgracing Nigeria internationally, haba!! Shame on him, his family and community.
ReplyDeletethey keep calling women golddiggas, dante and co shey you see ya gender digging gold and destroying lives. if i hear pim from una again ehn.....!!!!
DeleteShe is not a lawyer...probably a family member trying to do damage control cos she would know where the info originated from.
ReplyDeleteHe was using his IT skills in Nigeria thinking he won't be caught.
One thing about US is once you steal from them, even if you're living in Sambisa jungle, they will extradite you to face your crimes.
I remember a few years ago, one Nnewi guy defrauded a bank in the US and he used the money to buy Range Rover in Germany to be delivered to his village where he ran to.
FBI tracked him with the transaction, came to Nnewi and carried him back to US with the car.
They used black agents to surprise him so you could imagine the shock.
Anyways...Americans do their due diligence before making their moves. If he is innocent...which I doubt....it will come out.
Exactly at your first sentence.
DeleteObviously a family member who feels like intimating Stella, into pulling down the story, lol.
Not every country extradites to the US and not every crime that happens gets solved. Some get priority because of political connection or public outcry. Others get swept under rock or innocent people are punished because the district attorney is looking for re-election. Not up to 50% of crimes get solved. Let's not use media reports to generalize. The reality is less interesting. It's like Nigerians who don't believe any positive thing about the Nigerian police. Corruption is more interesting than good police work.
DeleteI know this family,the only thing wrong is the picture Stella used. The guy i know with this name exactly is very fair in complexion almost biracial lookn.
DeleteBy monday i will know if the story is true,Or if hes the one.
14.56 👌 this is similar to my comment to Lovelace on the old post yesterday.
DeleteB&R, abeg come and update us once you confirm. No hiding place for a thief and a criminal. They keep disgracing the country.
DeleteCrime does not pay...They will not hear..
ReplyDeleteLawyer wey no know her work na ... (in Fela's voice and tone)
ReplyDeleteThe Lawyer should have first confirmed from the Tacoma Court if there is a case in the court as reported. And then confront anybody that reports the matter with the Court's response (denial of the case) or denial that her client is not the accused person.
Where dem dey see mind commit this kind of crime like this?
ReplyDeleteYou will always get caught when you commit any crime,but they won't listen,see the disgrace he has brought to the name Nigeria.
Please give that female rawyer these baskets to use as her wig
ReplyDeleteinside that naija court room 🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺🧺
What promise did Chukwuemeka give her?? curiously thinking
I live in Seattle and read this story in the Seattle times.
ReplyDeleteThe woman can rant and rave but he did it. You do the crime, you do the time.