A 40-year-old Nigerian man, Leslie Chinedu Mba, has been sentenced to 19 years (228 months) in federal prison for conspiracy to commit false statements in immigration documents, as well as involvement in a romance scam and business email compromise scheme.
Mba pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit false statements in immigration documents.
From April 2018 to December 2023, Mba and his accomplices, both inside and outside the United States, carried out business email compromise and romance scams targeting unsuspecting victims.
His team included Grace Morisho (30), Rodgers Kadikilo (30), Kristin Smith (38), and Alexandra Golovko (36), all from Houston.
According to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei, the schemes began overseas, where co-conspirators gained unauthorized access to business email accounts and redirected payments to fraudulent bank accounts.
Victims believed they were sending money to legitimate businesses, but Mba and his team instead funneled 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. Additionally, he attempted to obtain U.S. permanent residency through multiple fraudulent marriages after his initial application was denied and he had been ordered removed from the country.
During the trial, which followed years of investigation by the FBI and Houston Police Department and prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Alum, the court heard that victims were defrauded of over $4 million.
“Romance scams are among the lowest and most despicable forms of fraud because they prey upon the lonely and vulnerable, and disproportionately victimize senior citizens,” said Ganjei.
He added, “These online scams jeopardized family-run businesses, threatened retirees’ livelihoods, and exploited the trust that fuels our economy. Mba committed these crimes while attempting to remain in the U.S. under false pretenses. Now, he faces prison followed by deportation to Nigeria.”
FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson said, “Their weaponization of romance scams to deliberately target vulnerable and elderly Americans is most disturbing. Romance scams manipulate trust, exploit loneliness, and leave victims financially and emotionally devastated. The FBI will continue to combat such schemes.”
After reviewing the evidence, District Judge David Hittner ordered Mba to serve 228 months in federal prison, followed by removal proceedings.
Mba’s accomplices, who had also pleaded guilty, received varying sentences: Morisho, Kadikilo, and Smith were sentenced to 15–25 months, while Golovko received five years’ probation.
