A 40-year-old Nigerian national has been sentenced to 95 months in prison in the United States for his role in a money laundering conspiracy involving more than $3.1 million in proceeds from multiple fraud schemes targeting American victims.
Oluwasegun Baiyewu, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced after a federal jury convicted him in August 2025 of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to U.S. court documents, Baiyewu led a conspiracy involving at least six other co-conspirators based in the United States and Nigeria between approximately May 2020 and October 2021.
Prosecutors said the group used illicit proceeds from various fraud schemes—including business email compromise, romance scams and unemployment insurance fraud—to purchase used and salvaged vehicles in the United States before arranging for the vehicles to be shipped to Nigeria.
Baiyewu and his associates allegedly coordinated the movement and use of the fraud proceeds through encrypted messaging applications, including WhatsApp.
In one case highlighted by prosecutors, a Puerto Rican renewable energy company was deceived through a business email compromise scheme and transferred approximately $280,000 to bank accounts controlled by fraudsters and money launderers.
Baiyewu subsequently worked with co-conspirators to launder part of the money by directing funds toward the purchase of vehicles in the United States. The vehicles were then arranged for export and shipment to Nigeria for the benefit of members of the conspiracy.
The U.S. Department of Justice said the case formed part of its broader effort to dismantle transnational cyber-enabled criminal networks that exploit victims through online and financial fraud.
Through its Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative (CSI), the Justice Department’s Criminal Division targets a wide range of cyber-enabled financial crimes, including romance, investment, cryptocurrency, government impersonation, inheritance and other scams.
The initiative brings together prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute international fraud networks, recover criminal proceeds and seek justice for victims.
The Criminal Division also works with U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country and is a founding member of the Scam Center Strike Force, launched in November 2025 by Jeanine Ferris Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
The investigation into Baiyewu’s activities was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the FBI San Juan Cyber Task Force.
Investigators also received assistance from the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force, which supported COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force teams.
Trial Attorneys Emily Powers and Richard Greene of the Criminal Division’s White Collar and Corporate Enforcement Section, alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Linet Olinghouse for the District of Puerto Rico, prosecuted the case.
The Justice Department said Baiyewu’s conviction and sentence reflect ongoing efforts by U.S. authorities to pursue individuals involved in the international movement and laundering of proceeds generated through fraud schemes targeting Americans.
The sentencing was announced in an update dated August 28, 2026.
