Nigeria entrepreneur faces jail in US for $11m fraud

A Nigerian entrepreneur faces up to 20 years in jail after pleading guilty in the US to charges of internet fraud worth $11m (£8.7m).

Obinwanne Okeke, now 32, was lauded in Forbes Africa's 30 under 30 list in 2016.

But the chief executive of Invictus Group is to be sentenced in October for his part in an email phishing scheme that targeted Unatrac Holding Limited, the export sales office for Caterpillar heavy industrial and farm equipment.

Court documents say Mr Okeke and his co-conspirators obtained and compiled the credentials of hundreds of victims between 2015 and 2019.

Fraudulent wire transfer requests and fake invoices were also sent, before the funds were then transferred overseas, the court documents add.

Earlier this week, the US Department of State froze the assets of six Nigerians accused of internet fraud amounting to more than $6m.