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James Junior Aliyu, a 30-year-old Nigerian national who resided in South Africa, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in the United States.
Aliyu was arrested in South Africa, extradited to the U.S., and is the last of three defendants to plead guilty in connection with a business email compromise (BEC) scheme. Eight others had previously pleaded guilty in related cases in the District of Maryland.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes, announced the plea alongside Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella on August 26, 2025.
Aliyu, along with fellow Nigerians Kosi Goodness Simon-Ebo, 30, and Henry Onyedikachi Echefu, 31, was indicted in June 2019 on charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. The indictment was unsealed in July 2022 following their arrests and extraditions.
According to Aliyu’s plea agreement, between February and July 2017, he and his co-conspirators gained unauthorized access to business and personal email accounts to carry out the fraud. They sent spoofed emails with false wiring instructions, tricking victims into transferring funds into “drop accounts” controlled by the group.
The conspirators laundered the stolen funds through transfers, cash withdrawals, cashier’s checks, and payments to conceal the money’s source. Aliyu was directly involved in fraudulent transactions totaling at least $4.16 million, resulting in actual losses of more than $1.57 million. He controlled nearly $1.2 million of those funds.
As part of his plea deal, Aliyu must forfeit $1.19 million and pay at least $2.39 million in restitution. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman has scheduled his sentencing for November 24, 2025.
Federal prosecutors credited HSI’s Mid-Atlantic El Dorado Task Force, South African authorities, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for their roles in the investigation and extraditions.
