US judge jails Nigerian 19 years for $4m romance scam

A 40-year-old Nigerian national, Leslie Chinedu Mba, has been sentenced to 19 years in a United States federal prison for his role in a $4 million romance scam and business email compromise scheme.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced the conviction in a statement on Monday.

Mba pleaded guilty on December 4, 2025, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to make false statements in immigration documents.

US District Judge David Hittner sentenced him to 228 months in prison.

The statement said: “Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard that victims were defrauded of over $4 million.”

US Attorney Nicholas Ganjei described the crimes as particularly harmful.

He said: “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.

“These online scams Mba and his friends perpetrated jeopardized the livelihood of family-run businesses, the ability of elderly individuals to retire, and exploited the trust that fuels our economy.

“Even worse, Mba and his confederates committed these crimes while attempting to remain in our country under false pretenses by deceiving immigration authorities.

“Now, Mba has prison to look forward to, followed by a one-way ticket back to Nigeria.”

FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson also condemned the scheme.

He said: “Out of all the frauds perpetrated by Leslie Mba and his co-conspirators, their weaponization of romance scams to deliberately target vulnerable and elderly Americans is most disturbing.

“Romance scams cruelly manipulate trust, callously exploit the fear of loneliness, and leave victims both financially devastated and emotionally shattered.

“The FBI will continue to combat fraudsters whose schemes leave a wake of misery behind.”

According to the statement, between April 2018 and December 2023, Mba and accomplices operating within and outside the United States carried out business email compromise and romance scams.

The scheme began overseas, where co-conspirators gained unauthorised access to business email accounts and redirected payments into fraudulent bank accounts.

The statement said: “Victims believed they were sending money to legitimate businesses, but Mba and others 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, Mba tried to obtain U.S. permanent residency through multiple fraudulent marriages after his initial application was denied and he was ordered to be removed from the country.

“The scheme resulted in a total loss of $4 million.”

Four other Houston residents — Grace Morisho, Rodgers Kadikilo, Kristin Smith and Alexandra Golovko — earlier pleaded guilty in connection with the case.

Morisho, Kadikilo and Smith received prison sentences ranging from 15 to 25 months, while Golovko was sentenced to five years’ probation.

Mba will remain in custody pending transfer to a facility to be determined by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.