Two Nigerian nationals residing in the United States, Solomon Aluko and Nosakhare Nobore, along with four others, face the possibility of 62 years in prison each after being arraigned before a New York court over allegations of defrauding the U.S. government of $50 million.
Court documents obtained from the U.S. Department of Justice website on Sunday reveal that the suspects were charged with conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, engaging in monetary transactions involving illicit funds, conspiracy to defraud the government, and aggravated identity theft.
According to the documents, the alleged crimes were committed between March 2020 and March 2025 in the Southern District of New York and other parts of the U.S.
The charge sheet outlines how the defendants allegedly worked together to pass counterfeit, stolen, and fraudulently obtained cheques, depositing them in banks and withdrawing or transferring the funds before detection.
The document further claims that the defendants stole personal and business identities, using them to open bank accounts through an accomplice who was a bank teller at the time.
These accounts were reportedly used to deposit fraudulent cheques from various U.S. agencies.
“Once deposited, the defendants withdrew the fraudulently obtained funds in cash or transferred them to other controlled accounts. The scheme attempted to acquire approximately $80 million, successfully depositing around $50 million,” the document stated.
A statement from the Department of Justice also revealed that the suspects maintained a ‘fraud bible’ containing detailed instructions on their operations. They allegedly communicated openly via a Telegram group to coordinate their fraudulent activities.
Commenting on the case, FBI Acting Assistant Director Leslie R. Backschies said, “These six defendants allegedly used sham businesses and stolen identities to execute a multi-year cheque fraud scheme, leading to the deposit of $50 million in illicit funds. The FBI remains committed to ensuring fraudsters who seek to deceive and exploit government programs face justice.”
Similarly, IRS Special Agent in Charge, Harry Chavis, remarked, “This group brazenly discussed their fraudulent activities, boasting about schemes that siphoned nearly $50 million from the American public. They exploited benefits systems intended for struggling businesses while stealing cheques meant for the elderly and veterans. Now, these ‘bag hunters’ must answer for their crimes.”
Following their indictment, each suspect faces a maximum sentence of 62 years if convicted on all counts.
The charges include conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud (30 years), conspiracy to commit money laundering (20 years), conspiracy to defraud the government (10 years), and aggravated identity theft (a mandatory two-year sentence).
The statement emphasized that sentencing would ultimately be determined by a judge and reaffirmed that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Those charged include Anand, 34, of Queens, New York; Nobore, 29, of Edgewater, New Jersey; Pappas, 28, of Miami, Florida; Ujkic, 44, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Aluko, 29, of Hackensack, New Jersey; and Gonzalez, 28, of North Bergen, New Jersey.
The case continues to unfold as the judicial process progresses.
