A Kenyan national was sentenced to nearly two years, time served, for his role in a multi-country business email compromise scheme that caused and intended losses exceeding $12 million, involving forged documents, money mules, and an international extradition.
John Muriuku Wamuigah, 36, of Kenya, was sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to nearly two years of imprisonment, a term already served. Court records show the scheme’s total losses and intended losses exceeded $12 million. Prosecutors tied Wamuigah to an organized effort that stretched across borders and used both unwitting and complicit intermediaries to move stolen funds.
According to court filings and statements made in open court, Wamuigah worked with co-conspirator Okechuckwu Valentine Osuji, a Nigerian national who led the operation. The conspirators targeted businesses and individuals by impersonating trusted parties in electronic communications and then directing money to bank accounts they controlled. They relied on a network of “money mules,” which included people tricked by unrelated scams and those who knowingly accepted illicit transfers for a cut.
Victims were convinced to send funds to accounts they believed belonged to legitimate vendors, partners, or service providers. In many instances the victims were real companies and nonprofits: a Connecticut-based financial firm, a Colorado lending company, an Alaska performing arts nonprofit, a New York food and beverage business, among others. Those transfers were diverted to accounts under the conspirators’ control and then laundered, withdrawn, or forwarded to other accounts.
Wamuigah’s specific role was to alter or forge invoices, contracts, and wire transfer instructions at Osuji’s direction. Those falsified documents were then used to support fraudulent payment requests and to make the transfers look routine. The fraudulent paperwork helped the group bypass ordinary checks and convince finance personnel that the wires were legitimate.
Law enforcement arrested Wamuigah in Malaysia in 2022 at the request of the United States, and he was extradited to the U.S. in 2025. He pleaded guilty on October 17, 2025, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and will be transferred to ICE custody for removal to Kenya. Officials reported his sentence amounts to time served, meaning he will be deported following the transfer from federal custody.
Osuji faced trial in New Haven and, on May 1, 2024, a jury found him guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. On December 4, 2024, he was sentenced to 96 months of imprisonment. Another co-conspirator, Tolulope Bodunde, a citizen of Nigeria, was sentenced on October 15, 2024, to 24 months of imprisonment for his role in the scheme.
The investigation was led by the FBI New Haven Field Office in cooperation with the Stamford Police Department. International partners assisted in securing the arrest and extradition of Wamuigah, including the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, Royal Malaysia Police, and the Malaysian Attorney General’s Chambers. The cross-border effort highlighted the international nature of modern fraud schemes and the need for coordinated enforcement.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel along with attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. Court records and filings describe a sophisticated, years-long operation that blended social engineering, document forgery, and financial exploitation. The case underscores how fraudsters combine technology, deception, and international networks to steal significant sums from diverse victims.
