Found this report on UK's Daily Mail about a Nigerian man named Frank Onyeachonam, who has been jailed for eight years in the UK for running a lottery scam which targeted vulnerable pensioners, stole from $3,000 to $800,000 and spent the money to fund his lavish lifestyle. Full story below..
A fraudster nicknamed 'Fizzy' because of his love of champagne has been jailed for eight years for conning vulnerable pensioners out of their life savings.
Frank Onyeachonam ran the UK end of global lottery scam that was orchestrated from his native Nigeria for seven years to fund his lavish millionaire’s lifestyle.
It involved hundreds of perpetrators in several countries, detectives say.
While he bled them of their life savings, Onyeachonam enjoyed a life of fast cars, champagne and designer clothes.In the UK, 38-year-old Onyeachonam conned pensioners out of sums from £2,000 to £600,000, deliberately targeting his victims because they were potentially vulnerable to his tactics. Continue...
Pictures
he posted on Facebook show he spent the cash on Gucci, Louis Vuitton
and Armani designer clothes, Rolex watches, Porsches and Maseratis.
He even stuck wads of what look like £50 notes in his Buzz Lightyear toy.
Onyeachonam,
of Canning Town, east London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of
conspiracy to defraud following a three-week trial.
Lawrencia
Emenyonu, 38, and Bernard Armah, 51, both of Wood Green, north London,
were also found guilty of money laundering. All three denied the
charges.
Emenyonu was jailed for 18 months while her partner Armah received an eight-month term.
Judge Rebecca Poulet QC, said there had been 'some very serious outcomes' for the victims caught up in the scam.
She
told married father-of-two Onyeachonam: 'I judge your culpability to be
very high. This was a very well thought out operation, sophisticated in
both its planning and its operation.
'Mr Onyeachonam, you targeted these individuals because they were elderly and likely to agree and be tricked by this scam.'
This was demonstrated in the fraudster’s own notes in which he described them as 'crippled, old or poor', she said.
One of the Rolex watches Onyeachonam allegedly spent the money on
Lavish lifestyle: A property in
Nigeria belonging to fraudster Frank Onyeachonam who has been jailed for
eight years at the Old Bailey
A regular in members' clubs
Onyeachonam's favourite drink was Ace of Spades champagne (pictured in
the door) costing between £300 and £500 a bottle. His fridge was also
stacked with Dom Pérignon (top shelf left) and Moët & Chandon
(middle shelf)
The
harm that was caused to these people could not just be calculated in
financial terms but also on the 'dreadful impact ' on their lives,
mental capacity and relationships with loved-ones.
The
judge went on: 'You contested the case in the face of powerful
evidence. You demonstrated the arrogance that you must have carried with
you throughout this fraud by continuing after you knew that the police
had raided your premises.'
The
ruse - known as an 'advance fee' fraud - saw Onyeachonam send victims
emails claiming they had won millions of pounds on a non-existent
Australian lottery and requesting a charge to release their winnings.
Onyeachonam was seen as the key figure in the UK but police suspect a criminal network was in place in several countries around the world
Investigators
traced 14 victims - mainly from the U.S. but including one from Britain
- who were defrauded of a total of around £900,000.
But
detectives believe this is the 'tip of the iceberg' with evidence
suggesting there may have been as many as 400 victims and the sum may be
as high as £30 million.
Onyeachonam
was seen as the key figure in the UK but police suspect a criminal
network was in place in several countries around the world. Authorities
found an alleged co-conspirator abroad had an email containing the
details of more than 100,000 potential victims.
Detectives believe this is the 'tip of
the iceberg' with evidence suggesting there may have been as many as
400 victims and the sum may be as high as £30 million
The
defendant was thought to have started working on the scam almost
immediately after he arrived in the UK from Nigeria in 2005, and was
said to have carried on into 2012 while he was on bail following his
arrest the year before.
His
crimes were uncovered in a three-year operation led by the National
Crime Agency with assistance from the Postal Inspection Service and
Internal Revenue Service in the US.
When
they raided his luxury apartment in Canary Wharf police discovered an
'Aladdin’s cave' of evidence pointing to an advanced fee scam.
Among
200 exhibits were notebooks containing the names, addresses, cash
tallies and other personal details relating to 406 people. Police
estimate that the fraud is likely to have run to at least £5 million and
possibly as high as £30 million if all those in the notebooks suffered
losses.
Partners in crime: Bernard Armah and
Lawrencia Emenyonu who were jailed for their part in a scam involving
fraudster Frank Onyeachonam
Steve Brown, senior officer in the NCA’s cyber crime unit, said the majority of Onyeachonam’s victims were from America.
He
is thought to have selected his targets from a database known among
fraudsters as a 'suckers list', which includes people who are believed
to be susceptible to the tactics.
Mr
Brown said: 'Victims were sent an email from an alias used by
Onyeachonam saying they had won an Australian lottery. They would be
directed to ring him and he would say ‘if you send me money I will then
release your lottery funds’.'
The
lottery ‘winnings’ ranged from £2 million to £9 million and once they
sent on cash victims were 'hooked' into the 'unrelenting' scam, he said.
He
added: 'Once they’ve got their claws into someone they won’t stop. As
long as they keep sending them money they will keep going until there’s
nothing left.'
Onyeachonam, 38, of Canning Town, east London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiracy to defraud
Using
the alias Dr Jeff Lloyds, Onyeachonam built up a rapport with his
victims and continued extracting money from some for as long as seven
years.
In
order to make the required payments several victims took out high
interest loans, forcing them to come out of retirement to repay the
debts.
Some
of those exploited by Onyeachonam suffered the added trauma of falling
under suspicion themselves as they were used as 'pawns' in the criminal
network to launder the proceeds of the fraud by sending on money from
other victims or setting up business accounts.
Mr
Brown said the scam had made a 'mental wreck' of victims, 'hammering'
their life’s savings, forcing them to lose their homes and leaving them
isolated from their friends and families.
Emails
showed victims pleaded with Onyeachonam to send them money to pay for
healthcare, while some died before he could be brought to justice.
The
British victim was left with debts of £90,000 and was forced to sell
her home, move into rented accommodation and return to work in an
attempt to stave off bankruptcy.
An American victim lost her dream home and she no longer speaks to her sister or friend.
She described how the scam made her feel like she had been 'raped over and over again'.
While
he left a trail of destitution and devastation in his wake, Onyeachonam
enjoyed the high life from the fruits of his deception.
Mr
Brown said he lived a 'cash rich' lifestyle, earning the nickname
'Fizzy' for his taste for expensive champagne. Photographs show him
surrounded by cash and bubbly in nightclubs.
His
car collection included Porsches and Maseratis while his Thames-side
flat was full of luxury brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton when it
was searched by police.
Onyeachonam
was the key figure as far as the 'UK nexus' was concerned but
detectives believe this was part of an international enterprise.
The
alleged mastermind or 'chairman' of the network is based in Nigerian
capital Lagos and he is currently under investigation by authorities
there.
Asked
how many people were working on the global scam, Mr Brown said: 'Name a
country and there seems to be a connection. It’s been almost impossible
for us to track everybody down. They’ve all got responsibility for
their own country.'
The prosecution has moved for a confiscation hearing for Onyeachonam.
Culled from UK Daily Mail
Nigerian can embarrass their own in Europe!
ReplyDeleteThis is great news. Wicked n evil people. Mscheww
DeleteEwooo... Chai, see embarrassment... dere is God oo
DeleteNaija everywhere you go dem dey
ReplyDeleteOkesimaa@gmail.com
ReplyDeletealways a nigerian
ibo men out dear
ReplyDeleteplz stop disgracibg us your fellow brithers and sis here na.. biko kwanu
Hmmm high typo error
DeleteYou are an idiot. What have u accomplished in naija yourself other than human sacrifices. There's nothing more disgraceful than beheading your own people in naija just to make a change. Shame on you that think you are better than he that decides not to use rituals to make money
DeleteSee Ur fat Yoruba ugly cheek. "Ibo men". Anuofia
DeleteAny way Na way ,he need to make is just that he was fortunate that's all ....so let's pray for him
DeleteNkita.anuofia
DeleteOl' boi
ReplyDeleteHe stacked his refrigerator with DON PERIGON nw en own DON PERISH...u dnt f*ck wit european police,they'll always get you
ReplyDeleteOnyeachonam meaning No one should look 4 him. Serves him right.
ReplyDeleteHahahahahahaha lol vry funny
Deletestupid..childish and thank God he was caught.
ReplyDeletea.k.a EDWIN CHINEDU AZUBUKO said...
ReplyDelete.
This dude na baddoo i swear..... Nna e bago one chance.....
.
.
***CURRENTLY IN JUPITER***
A very stupid Nigerian
ReplyDeleteHe's not as stupid as d naija that steals from his own country and left d country useless with bad road, no light and mosquito infested that kills millions with malaria. Only in our country. You people need to get your shit right. Yes onyeachonam did wrong but you can't attack him like that after all white steals more from naija oil as I'm speaking now. And you don't say shit. Mumu. Politians and stealing your country's money , you don't say shit but you wanna hate on onyeachonam. He don't owe you shit, fools. And a and he's not representing u either , your yeye country's bad roads and no light with people doing rituals represent you trust me
DeleteAnonymous I hail u, nice speech
DeleteThat's a stupid statement from you. You are obviously a scammer yourself. There is no justification whatsoever for what he did. What about the victims who were left broke for life? Did they not work hard for their money. Remember, karma is real if you don't stop and genuinely show remorse.
DeleteHey you... Two wrongs don't make a right
DeleteAll these stupid English wey you de write so... Must you comment? Stupid anonymous
DeleteNo doubt Mr. Onye.. did wrong and deserves some punishment. But we must appreciate that he is not worse than our heartless politicians who after having their full in Nigeria, insatiably launders the common wealth of Nigerians into unknown foreign a/cs. Neither is he as bad as the foreign oil coys (theives) who have contributed nothing meaningful to Nigerians' well-being. So what Mr Onye.. got is just a scratch from what was stole from Nigeria in particular and Africa at large.
DeleteY wnt oyibo hate nigerians. . Nxt we go say na racism. . Dey ar jus too greedy.. always looking for sharp nd bad means to make money
ReplyDeleteIs this linda ikejis blog or stella dimokos?:s
ReplyDeleteOr even ladun's blog?linda d copycat
DeleteDis 419s kip givin naija bad name
ReplyDeleteMheeeen nigerians!!!
ReplyDeleteImagine dis animalistic fool denting our name in diaspora. Very embarrassing. I'm out ***CATCH ME IF U CAN***
ReplyDeleteNaija for life.......
ReplyDeleteXDON D DON
Cool bad bizness..Linda i love d blue color letters whatever..its nice..KIU
ReplyDeleteLIB kritik.
Serves him right. That is how they will keep giving us a bad name. If you are Nigerian in the UK, nobody gives you a chance, because of people like him, doors are shut in our faces. May he rot in jail. All of them will be uncovered one after the other.
ReplyDeleteJust like your father will be uncovered in his ritual plots you asshole poverty stricken fuck
Delete8yrs is not enuf
ReplyDeleteYou are a fool if you support giving your brothers prison time like that. That shows how hateful land stupid u naija people are. Instead of u to protest against politicians stealing from naija and taking d money to London, you're upset about naija man wey dey collect money back from oyibo. I guess he shouldn't take from white people. He should come home and steal the remaining naija government money. That's what we naija pple like. To destroy our own country and be good to other pple's country. Nonsense. How many years did you or they give obasanjo and d rest that stole countless amount of money? Pple like you sit there and run your mouth about naija pple struggling to make overseas. You must not hate on your pple abroad trying to make it. They're not stealing from you or you stupid nigeria which you're suppose to be concerned about.
Delete8yrs for all these trauma he caused people? The Brits are very daft.
ReplyDeleteAnything naija do, do it 4 ur hood(rep adugbo)
ReplyDeleteolukayodeayanbisi@gmail.com
Babaginda made a statement during his "notorious" days in Nigeria and I quote:"Nigerians are very good at two things;Big grammar and Wayo." The potency of this statement is like the sun.
ReplyDeleteokaforchris.blogspot.com
The same stories with some of these Nigerians in the Diaspora. Scamming, stealing all to fund a lifestyle which is not sustainable. "SMH"
ReplyDeleteFizzy 4 jail na, all follow.
ReplyDeleteMrs DAvido + now DAvido Doll
99days for the Thief.....jus 1 day.....#its a Pity#
ReplyDeleteEnd of yahoo! Chai!!! This guy made big cash! Unfortunately, they will all be confiscated.
ReplyDeleteEnd of yahoo! Chai!!! This guy made big cash! Unfortunately, they will all be confiscated.
ReplyDeleteUr english's painful
DeleteNA SO ALL WEST AFRICAN WHERE NIGERIANS DEY NA YAHOO THEM THEY DO I DON GO LIKE 4 WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY INCLUDING SOUTH AFRICAN NIGERIA GUYS THERE ARE ALL DOING YAHOO AND THEY WOULD COME BACK TO NIGERIA AND TELL US IT NOT EASY THEY ARE WORKING, SEE AS THEM THEY TURN PPLE HOMELESS, AND THEY ARE ALL IGBOS, FEW YORUBA'S, I CAN SEND YOU PICTURES OF SOME PPLE HERE IN THE COUNTRY I STAY fisfrank50@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteNA SO ALL WEST AFRICAN WHERE NIGERIANS DEY NA YAHOO THEM THEY DO I DON GO LIKE 4 WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY INCLUDING SOUTH AFRICAN NIGERIA GUYS THERE ARE ALL DOING YAHOO AND THEY WOULD COME BACK TO NIGERIA AND TELL US IT NOT EASY THEY ARE WORKING, SEE AS THEM THEY TURN PPLE HOMELESS, AND THEY ARE ALL IGBOS, FEW YORUBA'S, I CAN SEND YOU PICTURES OF SOME PPLE HERE IN THE COUNTRY I STAY fisfrank50@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteU no dey shame? Pls don't give Linda ur email by tricks..the bonanza done finish.. Ewu Hausa
DeleteNa wa o
ReplyDelete8 years is to small this guy deserve life in jail, for duping old people for that matter!
ReplyDeletebaddest guy....
ReplyDeleteonly u with this.
outsmart
BORN TO SHINE!!!!
Nonse guy, you are going down, sandy berry
ReplyDeleteLol.nor be small FIZZY.y nt put dis intelligence in2 something creative cos I dnt see any dull person carrying out dis kinda work.And d painful part is d luxurios lifestyle he is living on pple's hard earned money.#evil.he didn't even do anything creative with it.imagine d pain he has caused those pple.Thank God he was caught.pple like dis r d reasons y Nigerians r disregarded ova there.He tot he was playing with Nigerian Police?serves him right.
ReplyDeleteLinda abeg change dis colour. Red is cool. Dis colour aint cool @ll
ReplyDeleteBad boy in action. ⌣̊┈̥-̶̯͡»̶̥♡thanks ⌣̊┈̥-̶̯͡»̶̥
ReplyDeleteNigerians be like MTN -Evry wr u go. Alwys in d news for one thin or d other
ReplyDelete2 bad poor pensioners deir hard earn labour na wa hrtless wicked man
ReplyDeleteStupid
ReplyDeleteI don't encourage fraud. But europeans and Americans are also very greedy. Did he force them to play lottery?
ReplyDeleteOnce a black man is rich, it becomes a problem for them.
But the guy too suppose lie low....
That is not what we are talking about here.
DeleteNigerian!!! Na wa oooo
ReplyDeleteSo white can be this stupid, they want to reap what they did not sow, how possible is that? That serves them right. He called to inform they of an Australian lottery they did not play and they believed, even me wey hunger wan kill can never believe or fall for such a thing. As for the criminal, he is a disgrace to the country when he knew he was involved in fraud why live a lavish lifestyle am sure if he had remained 'under G' he would not have been caught now he bears the risk of losing everything by returning to square zero, more to learn from him. But am happy that the white can finally accept that they have nothing upstairs and that black is above them any day any time. #amdone
ReplyDeleteYou are just a fool. What youve written now, does it make any sense? Bigot, fool, obor of the century mschewww
DeleteU al should kip ur mouth shut! If he had approached u on d road wouldn't u ve jumped in2 d car? Al u girls prayin 2 God 2 gv u ur own rich hubby on linda's blog! Na who de catch b tif! If som of u had d chance I guess u wld ve done everything possible 2 marry ds guy
ReplyDeleteYou are very right....
DeleteDuping old people, this one is cursed.. smh
ReplyDeletePls don't blame him, he z jst a bad sharp guy can u compare dis to what dey did to us, we wia bein sold as slave, dis z pay bak time
ReplyDeleteHmmmm stupid con man.
ReplyDeleteNawaoooo for naija.
ReplyDeleteThis said property u said is onyeabuchis own is nt his. I knw this ouse very well and I knw the owner is not onyeabuchis own lailai. This ouse is in amuwo.so Linda get ur fact right abeg.
ReplyDeleteIgbos are known for Fraud. Linda you better up your game with a website o. Bellanaija is changing now and I visit that site more often than yours now. The only thing that is constant is CHANGE. get a website ASAP www.lindaikeji.com
ReplyDeleteLook how ugly u are.. and have guts to even expose ur flat useless breast here...ashwo for life..ugly bitch..house girl of life
DeleteUr grandfather is a fraudster. Igbos are known for fraud ko. U Dont have to be tribalistic about it. After all I know ppl from other tribes that are into it, so Dont blame it on igbos alone. E na eji Karen nsi ndi Congo. Anu mpama .
DeleteEeeeeeeeeeeeeeediat rasclat eeeeediat I hpe dey throw away d key n wen he cmes out hel face reality hw quickly his "friends" will disappear. Ediats like him mess up all our hard wrk
ReplyDeleteChai...diaris God ooh!..poor souls died on top dis matter..dis is yahoo on another scale oh!..smh
ReplyDeleteI dnt subscribe 2 ds way of lyf. Bt i do still knw dt no one holy pass. While rainin curses on hm,do u think U r better of? Weda in UK or Naija,bad thing is bad. Bt smhw,man must hustle o.
ReplyDeleteI checked his fb account with the name "Frank Onyeachonam" and it's seems he posted something hours ago.....*confused*
ReplyDeletenawao. patoswife@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHalo linda, pls change d blue and white and I can't even share anymore. It's annoying. Nigerians dey scatter anyhow
ReplyDeleteThe quest for quick money and the consequence thereof. God help us o.
ReplyDeletelotto don cast,lotto don cast, and some people still dey chop lotto...mtchew,Make i try work this lotto this week self...
ReplyDeleteLol....this guy lives in my estate in Nigeria. #sos
ReplyDeleteHmmmmmmmm..............serves him right..........
ReplyDeleteIt is really sad, that you are "living" the life while an old person is pleading for his/her money to pay medical bills. And you have parents? Him and everyone who has profited from these death will definitely reap it and much more. Your punishment starts here and moves on to eternity if you dont stop. Naija babes, hope you will start opening your eyes.
ReplyDeleteThe bad thing now is that most people that were worshipping him and eating this ill gotten wealth will distance themselves and start cursing him....
ReplyDeleteSharp Sharp
DeleteIgbo boiz like sharp sharp moni eeh
ReplyDeleteWat was he thinking? Knowing wat he did Nd decided to hav expensive life there?he is a big fool. I doubt if he is frm naija???
ReplyDeleteNdigbo at it again. If you like come at me, it wouldn't change the fact that you guys started 419.
ReplyDeleteHe used to live with us in nigeria
ReplyDeleteNext thing linda will post pictures of the guy jogging in lekki with police escort and say "big boy"....linda you too are a problem...you glorify these criminals..
ReplyDeleteHmmm why won't he squander the money anyhow,he didn't work for it.
ReplyDeleteNa wa o....n u'll prob see him out n fink hez responsible coz he'll cover up woteva hez doin wif somtin else. All dat glitter isn't gold ....God hlp us!
ReplyDeleteShame to the wife who has encouraged him all this while in fraudulent activities.He has caused destitution,poverty,death of his victims.May God punish him for this grave wickedness.Also people should learn their lesson that you don't get things easily in life like that and should try to cut their appetite.BEWARE OF GREED.
ReplyDeleteIgbos and greediness. Rot in jail like all your fellow igbos in all over the world prisons. Shame on you lot and get your biafra fast.
ReplyDeleteYou are just a fool and bastard join.. Hediatic hegoat!!
DeleteYoruba and rituals
DeleteMAY God have mercy on him. Our lord said 'forgive them 4 they do not know what they do'
ReplyDeleteThis is just one. In Italy, igbo are not as many as other Nigerian tribe but anytime a crime is committed involving Nigerian, the person must be igbo likewise in Ireland and UK. They just dont know when to stop. They are bush unintelligent people who over do everything including dressing, talking, eating etc. They dislike them even in work places all over the world. You can confirm from anyone in abroad. Very aggressive greedy bastards giving Nigerian names.
ReplyDelete'...in abroad tho?!'
DeleteGo and get some education. Tribalistic bastard!!
DeleteUr grandmother, ur mother and ur sisters are all prostitutes and criminals.. go and kill ur father too
DeleteHmmmmm nigerians dey will never carry last Amryrobbers
ReplyDeleteOk 8yrs. Pretex4luv@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteAnd dere goes my ibo brother makin naija proud
ReplyDeleteSMH
Onye oshi..ur own don be! Na so una go dey spoil our name.
ReplyDeleteigbo kwenu.................
ReplyDeleteIt takes two to tangle. If you neither play a lottery nor ask anybody play it on your behalf and you received an anonymous email claiming that you have won a lottery and out of share 'looting' you ignorantly succumb to such a scam, i believe you should have yourself to blame for the aftermath... Although what is not good has no other name than say it's not good. so therefore Nigerians should stop embarrassing themselves especially those outside the shores of this country.
ReplyDeletetomotoso@gmail.com
not in any way condoning what he did. but i knw for a fact that the lavish story told is false. All this has been fabricated to help the judge with sentencing time with the help of pictures seen on his fones or laptops n mind u. LET HE WITHOUT SIN BE D FIRST TO CAST A STONE
ReplyDeleteLinda dey have started ooooooo, which one is ibo pple shld keep disgracing der mother land, or abi hausa / yourba no dey do am?...... am in no mood to go into tribalism..... bt moni goooooooodddddddd oooooooooooo chai
ReplyDeleteSERVES HIM RIGHT!!!!
ReplyDeleteits because of people like him, when person wan check out,they dont treat one nicely at immigrations...he can always manage prison p--ss er i meant..champagne
Charity begins at home! Export our lifestyle. That's how we roll.
ReplyDeleteShame the way he made the money.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I hope he kept some money where no one can trace! Out in 4yrs with promise of good behaviour and on to the next one! Just joking....hehehe! But he'll come out and if he was wise, live a reasonably comfortable life with the stash that was never found.
Naija..evrywhr u go....God v mercy on hm
ReplyDeletethe nigerian government/politicians as well as their kids are all as bad as him! why would nigerians be embarrassed by him? most of you are filthy liars…including the public.
ReplyDeletewell done man you will get out soon------so much love fizzy
ReplyDelete