A Nigerian national, Sobanke Idris Sunday Adereti has pleaded guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The 24-year-old pleaded guilty to false use of a passport and attempted bank fraud on October 25 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Priest Johnson.
According to information presented in court, Adereti deliberately used a false passport in an attempt to open a bank account for the purpose of furthering fraud schemes and engaging in money mule activity.
“A significant danger of document fraud is that it helps fraudsters move their ill-gotten gains through the US bank system by concealing it in legitimate-looking bank accounts,” Ganjei said.
“This not only affects our banks but also the individual victims whose identities were used to open the accounts. Thanks to astute bank employees and the quick work of law enforcement, this defendant was prevented from further fraud against innocent victims.”
The case was investigated by the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Small Business Administration-Office of Inspector General, and with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
