Two Nigerian nationals, Solomon Aluko and Nosakhare Nobore, along with four others, are facing up to 62 years in prison each after being arraigned before a New York court on charges of defrauding the United States government of $50 million.
According to court documents obtained from the US Department of Justice (DoJ), the six suspects were arraigned on four counts, including conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, money laundering, defrauding the government, and aggravated identity theft.
The alleged fraudulent scheme, which reportedly took place between March 2020 and March 2025 across multiple locations in the United States, involved the use of counterfeit, stolen, and fraudulently obtained checks. The suspects allegedly deposited these checks into bank accounts and withdrew or transferred the funds before banks could detect the fraud.
The indictment revealed that the suspects stole personal and business identities to open bank accounts, with assistance from a syndicate member who was a bank teller at the time. These fraudulent accounts were then used to deposit checks from various US government agencies.
“Once the cheques were deposited, the defendants withdrew the fraudulently obtained funds in cash or transferred them to other bank accounts under their control,” the court document stated.
The document further revealed that the syndicate attempted to steal approximately $80 million but successfully deposited about $50 million before their operation was uncovered.
Investigators also discovered that the group maintained a ‘fraud bible,’ a manual detailing how each member should carry out specific tasks. Additionally, the suspects openly discussed their fraudulent activities in a Telegram group.
Commenting on the case, the US FBI Acting Assistant Director, Leslie R. Backschies, described the suspects as fraudsters who took advantage of government programs meant to assist struggling businesses.
“These six defendants allegedly used sham businesses, stolen, and fake identities to operate a multi-year cheque fraud scheme, resulting in $50 million in illicit funds being deposited into their accounts,” Backschies said.
Similarly, Harry Chavis, a special agent from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), condemned the scheme, saying the suspects had no remorse for their fraudulent actions.
“They lied and cheated a benefits system meant to help struggling businesses, all while stealing cheques from agencies that assist the elderly and veterans. This gang of ‘bag hunters’ will now face justice for multiple charges,” Chavis stated.
The six defendants—identified as Anand, 34, of Queens, New York; Nobore, 29, of Edgewater, New Jersey; Pappas, 28, of Miami, Florida; Ujkic, 44, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Aluko, 29, of Hackensack, New Jersey; and Gonzalez, 28, of North Bergen, New Jersey—face severe legal consequences if convicted.
The breakdown of their potential sentences includes:
• Conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud – Maximum of 30 years
• Conspiracy to commit money laundering – Maximum of 20 years
• Conspiracy to defraud the government – Maximum of 10 years
• Aggravated identity theft – Mandatory 2-year sentence
While the potential sentences are severe, the DoJ emphasized that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
The case continues as US authorities intensify efforts to clamp down on financial fraud and identity theft operations.
