Five Texans have been sentenced to a combined 160 years in federal prison for their roles in a huge international fraud operation that defrauded individuals, businesses, and government agencies of approximately $17 million.
Gatekeepers News reports that many of the victims were elderly and were targeted through deceptive romance scams.
The sentences were handed down on June 16, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant III at the federal courthouse in Plano.
Prosecutors revealed that the fraudulent activities spanned from January 2017 and included a range of schemes such as online romance scams, business email compromise, investor fraud, and unemployment insurance fraud.
Damilola Kumapayi, 39, of Plano, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 109 months in prison.
Sandra Iribhogbe Popnen, 50, of Plano also known as “General,” pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy and received a 365-month sentence.
Edgal Iribhogbe, 51, of Allen, known as “Oseme,” was convicted at trial and sentenced to 480 months.
Twin brothers Chidindu and Chiagoziem Okeke, both 32 and from Houston, were also found guilty and received identical 480-month sentences.
According to court documents, the defendants operated as part of a transnational criminal syndicate.
They orchestrated a coordinated effort to exploit over 100 victims globally, many of whom were elderly individuals lured through dating platforms and manipulated into sending money under pretenses.
The group laundered the proceeds through a network of bank accounts, shell companies, and middlemen, funneling the money to associates in Africa and Asia.
