Two Former Air Force Members Sentenced for BEC and Phishing Schemes
Summary
Two former U.S. Air Force members received a combined 189 months in prison for BEC and phishing schemes that stole credentials and diverted corporate payments, including wires of $1.68 million and $720,000.
Key points
- Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu and Harafat Mogaji carried out multi-year BEC and phishing schemes while stationed at Dover Air Force Base, according to court documents.
- They stole employee email credentials and used spoofed addresses to redirect business payments to accounts controlled by accomplices.
- The scheme diverted wires of more than $1.68 million from an Iowa victim and more than $720,000 from an Ohio victim.
- The defendants also used stolen financial information to make unauthorized transactions.
- Odimegwu was sentenced to 111 months in prison and Mogaji to 78 months; both were ordered to pay restitution and serve three years of supervised release.
- The FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report recorded 24,768 BEC complaints and more than $3 billion in losses.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Criminal sentencing for business email compromise and phishing schemes
- Impact
- The schemes stole email credentials and financial information, redirected corporate wire transfers to accounts controlled by the conspiracy, and caused more than $2.4 million in diverted funds. Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu and Harafat Mogaji received prison sentences totaling 189 months and were ordered to pay restitution.
People
Chijioke Timothy OdimegwuFormer U.S. Air Force member sentenced to 111 months in prison for participating in the BEC and phishing schemes.Derrick Van YeboahMentioned as a Ghanaian national sentenced for a separate fraud-ring case involving BEC attacks and romance scams.Harafat MogajiFormer U.S. Air Force member sentenced to 78 months in prison for participating in the BEC and phishing schemes.