The U.S. Secret Service confiscated $1.5 million from the Binance wallet of Nigerian fraudster Avwerosuo Omokri after an investigation into multiple complaints from victims revealed his involvement in fraudulent activities. The agency pursued the forfeiture of the seized funds, confirming they were obtained through wire fraud and money laundering.
A detailed inquiry led by Special Agent Katrina Caulfield exposed the operations of an internet fraud network that ran deceptive investment trading platforms to deceive unsuspecting individuals. Documents obtained by Peoples Gazette indicated that she sought forfeiture in rem of the seized funds.
One of the victims, identified as Victim 1, a resident of Newton, Massachusetts, reported her experience through an internet crime complaint form in March 2024. She had fallen for a cryptocurrency scam, losing 1.33272285 BTC.
According to her statement to Ms. Caulfield, she became involved in the scam after joining a Facebook group in February 2024 called ‘Financial Independence Forum’, where members were promised financial freedom and early retirement through “reliable investments.”
Victim 1 interacted with other members of the group, including Tom Sheldon Haley, an administrator who presented himself as an expert in online trading. Over time, their conversations on Facebook Messenger became more frequent, and Haley persuaded her to invest in a trading platform called Trade Propel, which promised high returns.
To facilitate the process, Haley provided her with detailed instructions on how to create an account on Trade Propel.
On March 13, 2024, she transferred 1.3 BTC from Coinbase to a wallet address provided by Haley.
After making the deposit, she noticed that her balance increased on the Trade Propel platform, leading her to believe her investment was yielding returns. However, when she attempted to withdraw the funds, Trade Propel’s customer support informed her that she had to pay a “tax on earnings” before initiating the withdrawal.
According to Agent Caulfield, this demand for additional payments was a common tactic among scammers, designed to extract as much money as possible from victims.
> “Based on my training and experience, I know that scammers often attempt to extract additional funds from victims by instructing victims to pay ‘taxes’ to the scammers before the victims can withdraw funds,” Ms. Caulfield wrote in her report.
An analysis of the Trade Propel website confirmed several hallmarks of fraudulent schemes. Agent Caulfield noted that she could not find any legitimate company information, policies, or contact details.
Instead, the website falsely claimed that hedge fund billionaires George Soros, Paul Tudor, and Ray Dalio had co-signed the platform. It also misleadingly presented itself as part of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).
> “Also, the website falsely claims to be part of FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) and SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation),” wrote the U.S. Secret Service special agent.
According to Ms. Caulfield, the fraudsters put significant effort into making the platform appear legitimate to deceive investors.
A blockchain money trail analysis revealed how the fraudsters immediately transferred the victim’s 1.3 BTC to an intermediary wallet before redirecting it to another wallet ending in -HKbIS.
Intermediary wallets are commonly used by fraudsters to obscure the origins of stolen funds and frustrate tracking efforts by security agencies.
> “Intermediary wallets support the movement of illicitly obtained funds as they help to conceal and disguise the source of the BTC by layering and severing straight-line coordinates of transaction activity on the Blockchain to cash out exchangers,” Ms. Caulfield stated in her motion for forfeiture.
Despite these tactics, the Secret Service successfully traced the bitcoin to its final destination.
Binance account records for a user ID ending in XXXXX3280 revealed that the wallet was registered to Nigerian passport holder Avwerosuo Omokri, using the email address johnrichie513@gmail.com.
Further investigation by Coinbase showed that other victims had also transferred money into the same intermediary wallet controlled by Omokri’s syndicate.
Victim 2 lost $29,000
Victim 3 lost $35,000
A fourth victim was directed to transfer funds to a different intermediary wallet
Additionally, the investigation revealed that the Tom Sheldon Haley Facebook account was not managed by a single individual, but rather by a fraud syndicate. The lower-tier fraudsters were responsible for engaging with victims on social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, while the higher-tier members managed the cryptocurrency wallets and attempted to launder illicit proceeds.
Binance records further revealed that Omokri’s syndicate accessed their wallets using four different devices, an indication of coordinated operations.
On February 16, 2025, Agent Caulfield formally requested forfeiture of the seized $1.5 million, affirming that the funds were the proceeds of wire fraud and money laundering.
The confiscated assets included:
7.23918814 BTC
105.75351403 ETH
636.11899592 AVAX
14,120.995091 USDT
2,380,467,906.17 SHIB
319,008,151.01 PEPE
This case highlights how fraud syndicates exploit social media platforms, luring victims with promises of financial independence while using complex blockchain maneuvers to disguise stolen funds. However, despite their attempts to cover their tracks, law enforcement agencies like the U.S. Secret Service continue to develop advanced investigative techniques to dismantle such fraudulent networks.
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