A Black Axe cult member Ikechuwku “Ike” Amadi, 38, has been sentenced to 15 years in jail in the U.S over his role in a fraud scheme that resulted in over $10m loss.
According to Tampabay, it started with a complaint about a clever check-fraud scam that had bilked a small Georgia law firm out of nearly $100,000. The money wound up in a bank account in Tampa but then vanished into other accounts overseas, spurring the interest of local FBI agents. .
What followed was an investigation that has stretched on now for six years, ensnared 13 defendants and uprooted a complex international fraud scheme responsible for losses in excess of $10 million, agents and federal prosecutors say. .
The probe reached its zenith last month when a man who who helped orchestrate the scheme appeared in a Tampa courtroom to face a sentence of 15 years in federal prison. .
Ikechuwku worked, according to the FBI, with a Nigeria-based criminal organization known as the Black Axe Group. The conspirators “sit in Internet cafes in Nigeria and conduct fraud online,” said FBI Special Agent Devin Williams, who headed the investigation. .
The Black Axe started as a fraternal organization on college campuses in Nigeria in the 1970s. It eventually evolved into an organized crime group. In the United States and around the world, the group is responsible for the loss of millions of dollars through a variety of elaborate cons. 📷: Tampabay