A Nigerian-American man, Omoyoma Okoro, currently serving a 100-month prison sentence for his role in a massive $80 million fraud scheme, now faces new charges that could add up to 30 more years behind bars and result in the revocation of his U.S. citizenship.
In a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Okoro was convicted in September 2024 by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on multiple counts, including conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud.
He was also found guilty of two additional counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and one count of bank fraud. The court ordered him to pay over $22 million in restitution.
The fraud, authorities say, occurred between 2008 and 2011, several years before Okoro applied to naturalize as a U.S. citizen.
In 2018, Okoro submitted his application for naturalization. During the process, he was asked if he had ever committed a crime or offense, to which he responded “No”; under penalty of perjury.
He was granted citizenship and took the oath on December 13, 2018. His arrest and subsequent conviction came after this process.
“Okoro is alleged to have knowingly and materially made false statements under penalty of perjury on his application for naturalization,”; the DOJ said.
He now faces a three-count indictment for naturalization fraud. If convicted, he could receive an additional sentence of up to 30 years in prison, along with automatic revocation of his U.S. citizenship.
This development comes just a week after another Nigerian, Kingsley Utulu, was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for his role in a large-scale hacking and identity theft scheme that defrauded U.S. tax authorities and individuals of over $2.5 million.
