Nigerian Man Faces 20 Years In Prison For Defrauding Thousands Of Victims, Moving $12Million Consumer Electronics From US To Nigeria

Nigerian citizen Oluseun Martins Omole, also known as Seun Omole, has admitted guilt to conspiring to commit wire fraud. He played a role in a large-scale scheme that defrauded thousands of victims in the United States and beyond, involving consumer electronics and various goods valued at over $12 million.

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams announced on Tuesday that Omole pled guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice in a statement released on Tuesday, Omole orchestrated various scams to defraud thousands of victims in the United States and elsewhere of more than $12 million in consumer electronics, including smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, and tablets, among other items, through his Company Tobylinks.

The U.S. Department said the company served as a vehicle through which he received thousands of fraudulently obtained goods from victims of the Enterprise before repackaging and shipping those items to various co-conspirators located in Nigeria.  

Williams said: “Over the course of approximately five years, Oluseun Martins Omole received more than $12 million worth of fraudulently obtained consumer electronics and other items.  

“Thousands of victims believed that they were sending these electronics and items to romantic lovers, legitimate buyers, and reputable employers.  Instead, they went straight to Omole, who repackaged those electronics and goods and shipped them in bulk to co-conspirators located overseas in exchange for the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars.

“Those like Omole who participate in such fraud schemes will find themselves facing prison time.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and Complaint, the plea agreement, and other public filings and statements made in court:

From at least in or about February 2018 through at least in or about March 2023, Omole participated in a criminal enterprise based in Nigeria (the “Enterprise”), which orchestrated various scams to defraud thousands of victims in the United States and elsewhere of more than $12 million in consumer electronics, including smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, and tablets, among other items.  The scams perpetrated by the members of the Enterprise included (i) romance scams, in which Enterprise members sent electronic communications to victims feigning romantic intentions, gained their trust and affection, and took advantage of that goodwill to induce victims into sending consumer electronics and other money or property to Omole; (ii) online marketplace scams, in which Enterprise members sent electronic communications to victims feigning interest in buying consumer electronics, falsely represented to the victim that the items had been paid for, and instructed the victim to send the consumer electronics to Omole; and (iii) employment scams, in which Enterprise members posted phony jobs online and informed unwitting victims that they were hired before instructing victims to send electronics to Omole under the guise that those electronics were needed for the job (together, the “Fraudulent Electronics Scams”).

During the relevant time period, Omole owned and operated a business corporation named Tobylink Impessions, Inc., a/k/a Tobylink Impressions, Inc. (“Tobylink”), which claimed to be a distributor, re-seller, and supplier of satellite communications equipment. In reality, however, Tobylink served as a vehicle through which Omole received thousands of fraudulently obtained goods from victims of the Enterprise before repackaging and shipping those items to various co-conspirators located in Nigeria.

During his participation in the conspiracy, Omole received and sent more than $12 million in consumer electronics and other items to other members of the Enterprise, in exchange for the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars in fees that Omole charged other Enterprise members.

Omole, 57, of Sugar Land, Texas, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

As part of his plea agreement, Omole agreed to pay restitution in an amount to be ordered by the Court and to forfeit an amount of U.S. currency to be ordered by the Court, as well as various consumer electronics and other goods seized by law enforcement.

Omole’s sentencing is scheduled for July 30, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman.