A Nigerian, fake passport & Ksh.98M: Story of Arinze Michael Ozor

Arinze Michael Ozor is said to have used fake passports to facilitate a money laundering conspiracy involving nearly $1 million (Ksh.100million).

The 36-year-old pleaded guilty on Friday to federal charges of forgery or false use of a passport.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, the suspect is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Nigeria.

Ozor used at least two passports to open eight so-called “drop accounts”, prosecutors said.

He took more than $976,000 (Ksh. 98,966,400) from business email compromise schemes and romance fraud schemes and put it in those accounts.

Officials say Ozor used a Ghanaian passport to open five bank accounts and a Beninese passport to open three additional accounts.

The money was then largely sent to other entities involved in the schemes.

Ozor is expected to be sentenced in May. He could spend up to 10 years in prison.

An attorney representing Ozor didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment, The Baltimore Sun reported.