Delinquent Money Collection Scam (Arrests)

Area lawyers fall victim to intricate ploys
Monday, November 22, 2010
BY MATT MILLER - patriot-news.com
Not even lawyers are immune from Internet scams.

The proof is in a grand jury indictment issued in U.S. Middle District Court charging six people with a $32 million international con that hit 80 lawyers in the U.S. and Canada.

At least two victims are midstate attorneys.


"This has adversely affected my life. I feel extremely violated," said a local lawyer who, after expressing concerns about possible harm to his professional reputation, agreed to speak if granted anonymity. "This was very, very sophisticated."

The five Nigerians and one Canadian charged in the scam were indicted after a multi-year investigation by the FBI, Secret Service and the Postal Service. An alleged ringleader, Emmanuel Ekhator, 40, is in custody in Nigeria, awaiting extradition to the U.S.

The others are believed to be in Canada, Nigeria and South Korea, according to court filings. All are being prosecuted on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to money laundering.

As portrayed in the indictment, the alleged con was a "collection scam" that used the attorneys as unwitting accomplices to abet check frauds against banks in Asia.

In addition to those who were scammed, the indictment cites 300 other cases in which lawyers were approached by the con artists.

Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed, whose office has handled numerous Internet fraud cases, especially scams against the elderly, said the federal case shows that no one is immune from such cons.

"This emphasizes how vigilant people need to be, whether they're people living on fixed incomes or experienced attorneys," Freed said.

Internal Link to examples and discussion regarding this type of Scam :-

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1578

Ekhator is coming home, the extradition was approved. From the Nigerian news:

A Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday granted an application by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, for the extradition of a Canada-based Nigerian, Emmanuel Ekhator, who is wanted in the United States for alleged criminal conducts.

Ekhator is wanted in the US over his alleged link with a group that defrauded some US law firms of about $29 million.

Justice Fatimat Nyako held that with the evidence provided by the prosecution, the court was convinced that Ekhator should be extradited to the US to stand trial on charges against him at the US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

The court ordered the US Embassy and the Federal Government to perfect his travel arrangement and ensure his extradition within 15 days.

The three-count charge marked 10-244 was part of documents from the US Department of State exhibited before the court by the prosecuting lawyer, Mr. Islam Hassan of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Ekhator, who is said to be a member of a syndicate that specialises in internet fraud, is accused of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, involvement in mail and wire frauds and money laundering. Most of the offences are said to attract a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.

He was said to have evaded arrest in the US last year and escaped to Nigeria. The US’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was said to have placed him on its watch list.

He was found in Benin, Edo State, where he was arrested earlier this year by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

EFCC, in a supporting affidavit to the extradition application, said Ekhator, who holds a Masters degree from the University of Bradford, West Yorkshire, resided in Canada with his wife, Nkechi.

The commission described Ekhator as the arrowhead of a ring of fraudsters operating between Canada, US and the Asian Peninsular, that had defrauded some law firms of $29 milliom.

Ekhator and his gang were alleged to have, between August 2008 and August 2010 fleeced about 70 US law of over $29 million.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/i ... firms.html

http://www.forctlawyers.com/wp-content/ ... tment2.pdf