James Junior Aliyu, a 30-year-old Nigerian national who lived in South Africa at the time of the crimes, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in the United States.

Aliyu was arrested in South Africa and extradited to the U.S., where he became the last of three defendants to admit guilt in connection with a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) scheme. Eight other defendants had previously pled guilty in related cases in Maryland.

The guilty plea was announced on August 26, 2025, by U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella.

Background of the Case

In June 2019, a federal grand jury indicted Aliyu alongside fellow Nigerians Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, 30, and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu, 31, on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. All three lived in South Africa during the scheme.

The indictment was unsealed in July 2022 following their arrests abroad. The defendants were subsequently extradited to the United States to face prosecution.

The Fraud Scheme

According to his plea agreement, between February and July 2017, Aliyu and his co-conspirators gained unauthorized access to email accounts belonging to individuals and businesses. They then sent fraudulent wiring instructions from spoofed emails—designed to look like legitimate communications—to trick victims into transferring funds into accounts controlled by the fraudsters, known as “drop accounts.”

The conspirators laundered the stolen funds by moving them between accounts, withdrawing cash, purchasing cashier’s checks, and transferring money to disguise the origin of the proceeds.

Losses and Penalties

Court documents show that the intended loss from Aliyu’s actions totaled more than $4.1 million, while the actual loss was at least $1.57 million. Aliyu personally controlled more than $1.19 million of the stolen money.

Under his plea agreement, Aliyu must forfeit $1.19 million and pay restitution of at least $2.38 million to the victims.

He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has scheduled sentencing for November 24, 2025.

International Cooperation

U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the efforts of HSI’s Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force, as well as the South African Department of Justice, the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa, and the South African Police Service for their assistance.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) and the Department of Justice Canada’s International Assistance Group also played crucial roles in the arrests and extraditions of Aliyu and his co-defendants.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy is prosecuting the case.