CHICAGO – Two ChicagoMen from the area have been sentenced to prison for running online schedules bilking victims across the US out of millions of dollars.
Anthony Emeka Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, and Samuel Aniukwu, 50, of Romeovillewould tell victims that they had received a large inheritance and in order to claim it, they had to provide money up front.
In a second scam, the pair communicated with victims on social media and dating apps, built trust through a fake online romance and then convinced them to send money.
Ibekie and Aniukwu also ran a “business email compromise” scam targeting corporate email accounts.
The crimes came to light through an undercover investigation. In total, Ibekie and Aniukwu stole at least $3.5 million.
Ibekie was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday after being convicted earlier this year of 14 charges, including bank fraud, money laundering and passport fraud.
Aniukwu, who pleaded guilty in 2023, was sentenced to 10 years on November 8 for bank fraud and money laundering.
A third person, Jennifer Gosha, 52, of Oak Park, pleaded guilty earlier this year to related charges of fraud and making false statements. Her sentencing is scheduled for December 18.
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