A Houston man illegally in the U.S. has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for a long-running fraud operation that used romance scams and business email compromises to steal more than $4 million from victims, with authorities saying deportation will follow his sentence.
Leslie Chinedu Mba, 40, admitted guilt on charges of conspiring to commit wire fraud and to make false statements on immigration documents, entering his plea on Dec. 4, 2025. U.S. District Judge David Hittner imposed a 19-year federal prison term, and officials expect Mba will be removed from the country after serving his time. The case spanned multiple years and crossed international lines, according to prosecutors.
Investigators tied Mba to schemes that combined romance fraud with business email compromise tactics, a mix designed to prey on trust and redirect legitimate payments into fraudulent accounts. Authorities say the conspirators stole more than $4 million from Americans, often targeting senior citizens and small, family-run businesses. The operation ran from April 2018 through December 2023, involving people both inside and outside the United States.
“Romance scams are among the lowest and most despicable form of fraud because they prey upon the lonely and vulnerable, and disproportionately victimize senior citizens,” said Ganjei. “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.”
Officials describe a two-track criminal playbook: co-conspirators first gained unauthorized access to business email accounts overseas, then redirected legitimate payments into bank accounts controlled by the group. Victims who believed they were paying real vendors instead saw funds siphoned off, sometimes using multiple mule accounts and layered transfers to obscure the trail. The fraud relied on social engineering and account takeover techniques common in business email compromise cases.
“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,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson. “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.”
Beyond the financial theft, prosecutors say the group exploited emotional vulnerability by cultivating fake romantic relationships to coax victims into wiring money or approving fraudulent transactions. Those romance narratives were paired with the business email compromises so the schemes could appear legitimate on both personal and corporate fronts. The combination amplified both reach and damage, leaving victims with both economic loss and emotional trauma.
Mba also faces immigration-related counts for falsifying information to obtain a permanent residency, according to court documents. After an initial denial and an order to be removed from the United States, he allegedly attempted to secure residency through multiple fraudulent marriages. Those actions added a separate layer of criminal exposure beyond the financial fraud allegations.
Several co-defendants already pleaded guilty and received shorter sentences. Grace Morisho, 30, Rodgers Kadikilo, 30, and Kristin Smith, 38, were each sentenced to terms ranging between 15 and 25 months, while Alexandra Golovko, 36, received five years’ probation. Authorities said those convictions reflect the varied roles within the conspiracy, from account access and money movement to recruitment and logistics.
Mba will remain in federal custody pending transfer to a Bureau of Prisons facility, where he will begin serving the 19-year sentence. Law enforcement officials involved in the investigation included the FBI and the Houston Police Department, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Alum. Court records indicate the prosecution focused on both the monetary losses and the deceptive immigration schemes that enabled the defendant to remain in the country.
Federal authorities emphasized that the case illustrates how online fraud networks exploit technology, international access, and human vulnerability to carry out large-scale theft. Prosecutors and investigators urged vigilance while also describing this prosecution as an example of cross-agency cooperation to dismantle complex fraud rings. For victims, the case is a reminder of how quickly trust can be weaponized and how broad the consequences of such schemes can be.
