A 40-year-old Nigerian national, Oluwasegun Baiyewu, has been sentenced to 95 months in prison in the United States for his involvement in a money laundering conspiracy linked to more than $3.1 million in proceeds from fraud schemes targeting victims in the country.
Baiyewu, who is based in Houston, Texas, was sentenced after a federal jury convicted him in August 2025 of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents and the United States Department of Justice, Baiyewu coordinated the scheme with at least six other individuals based in the United States and Nigeria between May 2020 and October 2021.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy involved proceeds generated from several fraudulent activities, including business email compromise schemes, romance scams and unemployment insurance fraud.
The group allegedly laundered the proceeds by using the money to purchase used and salvaged vehicles in the United States. The vehicles were subsequently shipped to Nigeria for the benefit of members of the conspiracy.
Investigators said Baiyewu and his alleged associates communicated and coordinated the movement of the funds through encrypted messaging platforms, including WhatsApp.
One of the cases cited by prosecutors involved a Puerto Rican renewable energy company that was reportedly deceived through a business email compromise scheme.
The company transferred approximately $280,000 to bank accounts controlled by individuals involved in the fraud and money laundering operation.
Prosecutors said Baiyewu subsequently worked with his co-conspirators to launder part of the stolen funds by directing the money towards the purchase of vehicles in the United States.
The vehicles were later prepared for export and shipped to Nigeria as part of the scheme.
The US Department of Justice said Baiyewu’s prosecution forms part of broader efforts by American authorities to disrupt international cyber-enabled criminal networks responsible for defrauding victims and moving illicit proceeds across borders.
The department said its Cyber-Enabled Scam Initiative targets various forms of online financial crime, including romance scams, investment fraud, cryptocurrency schemes, government impersonation scams and other fraudulent activities.
The initiative brings together prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to investigate international fraud networks, prosecute those responsible, recover criminal proceeds and seek justice for victims.
The Criminal Division also works with US Attorney’s Offices across the country and is a founding member of the Scam Center Strike Force, which was launched in November 2025.
The investigation leading to Baiyewu’s conviction involved the US Postal Inspection Service, the US Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the FBI San Juan Cyber Task Force.
Investigators also received support from the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force, which assisted 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, together with Assistant US Attorney Linet Olinghouse for the District of Puerto Rico, prosecuted the case.
The Justice Department said the conviction and sentence demonstrate the continued commitment of US law enforcement agencies to pursuing individuals involved in the international laundering and movement of proceeds obtained through fraud.
The sentencing was announced by the US authorities in an update dated August 28, 2026.
