There Is A Last Defendant in Fraud Scheme Involving Collegiate Athletes Receives Sentence

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Due to her involvement in an international fraud operation, a Georgia lady was found guilty of fraud and given a term of three years probation as well as a fine of $74,847.52 and restitution of $123,116.50.

The U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg sentenced 24-year-old Aniekeme Etim.

Court filings state that between 2018 and 2022, con artists operating out of Nigeria preyed on both men and women in the United States through military, romance, and fraudulent product scams. The hoax victims would receive instructions to pay money to American persons, who would subsequently send the money back overseas.

Following an investigation into the money transfers, the FBI established that the recipients and transferers of the fraud schemes’ proceeds were Etim, Uyoyo Mercy Abire, Raymond Ekevwo, Toluwani Adebakin, Ngoni Chadyiwa, and Emmanuel Ineh. Each of the people involved in this behavior was a collegiate track and field athlete at the time.

A former publisher in Jasper County was convicted for luring a juvenile. Adebakin, a Nigerian native, and Etim were both William Carey University track and field players. Abire was a track and field athlete at Louisiana State University. She was originally from Nigeria. Nigerian-born Ekevwo competed in track and field at the University of Florida.

Zimbabwean-born Ngoni Chadyiwa competed in track and field at William Carey University. And lastly, William Carey University and the University of Alabama were home to Nigerian-born track and field athlete Emmanuel Ineh.

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In the end, prosecutors claimed that the inquiry had not revealed that any of the athletes had spoken with any of the victims of the fraud personally. Nevertheless, the athletes received money from over 100 victims and sent over $820,000 abroad as a result of the fraud schemes.

Etim was found guilty of encouraging the running of an unlicensed money transmission business and was subsequently punished.

Abire was given a sentence of 41 months in jail and three years of supervised release after entering a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Ekevwo was sentenced to 46 months in jail and three years of supervised release after entering a guilty plea to aiding and abetting the operation of an unlawful money transmission business.

After a chase and confrontation outside the hospital, Collins guy was apprehended
After entering a guilty plea to money laundering, Adebakin was given a sentence of 36 months in jail and three years of supervised release.

After entering a guilty plea, Chadyiwa was given a three-year probationary period for his role in the illegal money transportation enterprise.

With a guilty plea to money laundering, Ineh received a sentence of time served along with three years of supervised release.

All of the defendants obtained reparation orders from the victims from whom they received monies personally as part of their sentence. Additionally, each defendant is still at risk of being removed or deported.

An investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.