MIAMI, FL – Tochuwku Albert Nnebocha, 43, of Nigeria, made his initial appearance in federal court in Miami today after being extradited from the Republic of Poland to face charges related to a transnational inheritance fraud scheme that targeted elderly Americans.
Nnebocha was arrested in Poland in April 2025 and has remained in custody since. According to court documents, he and others are accused of running a scheme that spanned more than five years, during which they mailed deceptive letters to seniors in the United States. These letters falsely claimed the recipients were entitled to multimillion-dollar inheritances from deceased relatives in Spain.
Before receiving the fabricated inheritance, victims were instructed to send money for various fictitious fees, including delivery charges, taxes, and clearance from authorities. The defendants used a network of U.S.-based individuals—many of them previous victims—to collect and forward the money. According to the indictment, no victims received the promised funds.
Nnebocha is charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjolique Lett presided over his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Two co-defendants—Okezie Bonaventure Ogbata, extradited from Portugal, and Ehis Lawrence Akhimie, extradited from the United Kingdom—have already pleaded guilty and were each sentenced to 97 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Prosecution is being led by Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Josh Rothman of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch.
This case is part of the Department of Justice’s broader effort to combat fraud schemes targeting older Americans. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, the National Elder Fraud Hotline is available at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).
