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 operation.
The conviction was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas in a statement published on Monday.
Mba had pleaded guilty on December 4, 2025, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to make false statements in immigration documents. He was subsequently sentenced to 228 months (19 years) by US District Judge David Hittner.
According to the statement, “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.”
‘Lowest and Most Despicable Forms of Fraud’
Reacting to the sentence, U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei condemned the scheme in strong terms.
“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,” Ganjei said.
“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,” he added.
Also commenting, Jason Hudson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Houston Field Office, described the romance scam element as particularly disturbing.
“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,” Hudson said.
“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.”
How the Scheme Operated
According to prosecutors, between April 2018 and December 2023, Mba and accomplices operating both within and outside the United States executed business email compromise and romance scams targeting unsuspecting victims.
The scheme reportedly began overseas, where co-conspirators gained unauthorised access to business email accounts and redirected legitimate payments into fraudulent bank accounts.
“Victims believed they were sending money to legitimate businesses, but Mba and others instead funneled the funds to accounts they controlled,” the statement said.
“Mba and others acted as money mules, opening or using existing bank accounts to collect and move proceeds from the fraud.”
Prosecutors also disclosed that Mba attempted to obtain US permanent residency through multiple fraudulent marriages after his initial application was denied and he was ordered removed from the country.
“The scheme resulted in a total loss of $4 million,” the statement added.
Co-Conspirators Sentenced
Four other Houston residents — Grace Morisho, 30; Rodgers Kadikilo, 30; Kristin Smith, 38; and Alexandra Golovko, 36 — had earlier pleaded guilty in connection with the case.
Morisho, Kadikilo and Smith received prison terms ranging from 15 to 25 months, while Golovko was sentenced to five years’ probation.
Mba remains in custody pending transfer to a facility designated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and is expected to face deportation proceedings upon completion of his prison term.
