Former US Air Force members behind million-dollar BEC scheme head to prison
Two men who ran BEC and phishing campaigns against US businesses while serving in the Air Force have been sentenced to a combined 189 months in federal prison.
According to public documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu, 25, and Harafat Mogaji, 26, both from Delaware, spent nearly two years sending spam and phishing emails to businesses around the US to steal usernames and passwords for employee email accounts.
They and their co-conspirators then used the stolen credentials, along with spoofed email addresses made to look like those of the victims or their business partners, to communicate with victims and redirect payments to accounts controlled by the conspiracy.
Working with co-conspirators in the US and abroad, Odimegwu and Mogaji diverted a wire of more than $1.68 million sent by a victim in Iowa City, Iowa, to a Chicago bank account controlled by the group. They also diverted a wire of more than $720,000 sent by a victim in Ohio.
“As part of their spamming and phishing campaigns, Odimegwu and Mogaji also harvested financial information from victims, such as financial account numbers and information, personal identification numbers, and credit and debit card numbers, including credit card information for a victim non-profit located in Pella, Iowa,” the Department of Justice said in a press release.
The two also bought stolen financial data from their co-conspirators. They shared the information with each other and used it to make and attempt transactions without the victims’ knowledge or authorization.
Odimegwu was sentenced to 111 months in prison and ordered to pay $366,617.59 in restitution. Mogaji received 78 months and was ordered to pay $995,680.45.
Both were taken into custody after sentencing. Each will serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term.
“Criminals from all backgrounds attack our digital systems. They strike targets from corporate networks to personal smart phones. No one and no device is immune from the threat ,” said Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Omaha Field Office.
“This case demonstrates that we will hold accountable cybercriminals who target our communities. It also serves as a reminder that every organization and every individual should take steps to protect their devices and systems and learn how to recognize and avoid scams,” added Kowel.
This is the second case in just a few days involving US service members sentenced for cybercrime. Cameron John Wagenius, 22, a former US Army soldier, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for his role in a group that hacked Snowflake customer accounts in 2024 and stole data from telecom companies, including AT&T.
