A Kenyan national extradited from Malaysia, John Muriuku Wamuigah, has been sentenced in the United States for his role in a multi-country business email compromise scheme that resulted in losses exceeding $12 million, equivalent to KSh 1.557 billion.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice press release on March 27, John Muriuku Wamuigah, 36, was sentenced in New Haven by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall to approximately 23 months in prison, time already served, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
“A citizen of Kenya was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to approximately 23 months of imprisonment, time already served, for his participation in a business email compromise scheme that operated out of multiple countries, including the United States,” the release read in part.
Authorities confirmed he will be transferred to immigration custody for removal to Kenya.
How the Wamuigah Fraud Scheme Worked
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that, according to court documents, the scheme was orchestrated by co-conspirator Okechuckwu Valentine Osuji, a Nigerian national, who led a network that targeted businesses and individuals through deceptive electronic communications.
“Osuji and his co-conspirators targeted specific individuals and businesses by masquerading as trustworthy entities in electronic communications to obtain money,” they noted.
The operation relied on both unwitting and complicit intermediaries, commonly referred to as “money mules.”
These included individuals, some of whom were victims of romance scams, who received fraudulent proceeds in their bank accounts.
The funds were then either transferred to accounts controlled by the conspirators or withdrawn and converted to cash for further movement.
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Additionally, it was confirmed that victims spanned multiple sectors and locations, including a financial company in Connecticut, a lending firm in Colorado, a nonprofit performing arts organization in Alaska, and a food and beverage company in New York, among others.
Over time, numerous victims were deceived into sending funds to accounts falsely presented as belonging to trusted recipients, but which were in fact controlled by the fraud network.
Role, Arrest, and Prosecution
According to the release, Wamuigah’s involvement centered on preparing fraudulent documentation to facilitate the scheme.
Acting under Osuji’s direction, he altered or forged invoices, contracts, and wire transfer instructions that were then used to convince victims to redirect payments.
Wamuigah was arrested in Malaysia in 2022 at the request of U.S. authorities and later extradited in 2025. On October 17, 2025, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, leading to his sentencing.
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On May 1, 2024, a jury in New Haven found Osuji guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced on December 4, 2024, to 96 months in prison. Another co-conspirator, Tolulope Bodunde, was sentenced on October 15, 2024, to 24 months’ imprisonment.
The DOJ further cited that the investigations were conducted by the FBI New Haven Field Office and the Stamford Police Department, with support from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Royal Malaysia Police, and Malaysia’s Attorney General’s Chambers, which facilitated Wamuigah’s arrest and extradition.
The prosecution was then handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel alongside the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
