RismadarVoice Reporters
March 21, 2026
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced that a Nigerian national, James Junior Aliyu, has been sentenced to 90 months’ imprisonment for his role in a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy involving hacked business email systems.
In a statement issued on Saturday, ICE said Aliyu was convicted for participating in a scheme that targeted businesses through compromised email accounts to fraudulently divert funds.
“Aliyu will serve a 90-month sentence for his role in a wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy after planning to hack business email servers,” the agency said.
It added that the 30-year-old was extradited from South Africa to the United States to face trial and has been ordered to forfeit $1.2 million and pay $2.4 million in restitution to victims. He is also expected to be deported upon completion of his sentence.
ICE noted that its Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operatives in Maryland and South Africa collaborated with international partners to investigate the case.
Further details from the US Department of Justice revealed that Aliyu had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, becoming the last of three principal defendants to do so, while eight others had pleaded guilty in related cases.
According to court documents, Aliyu and his co-conspirators carried out a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme between February and July 2017, during which they gained unauthorised access to email accounts of individuals and companies.
The syndicate then sent fraudulent wire transfer instructions from spoofed email addresses, deceiving victims into transferring funds into accounts under their control.
Prosecutors said the group also engaged in laundering the proceeds by moving funds through multiple accounts, withdrawing cash, and disguising the origin of the money.
The Department of Justice disclosed that the intended loss linked to Aliyu’s activities exceeded $4.16 million, while actual losses amounted to at least $1.57 million. Investigations showed that he directly controlled over $1.19 million of the stolen funds.
Authorities highlighted the role of international cooperation in securing Aliyu’s arrest and extradition, with support from South African law enforcement agencies and the US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
US Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, described the case as indicative of the scale and sophistication of coordinated cyber fraud operations.
Officials reaffirmed their commitment to tracking down and prosecuting perpetrators of cyber-enabled financial crimes across borders.
