The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) has released a list of 77 Nigerians charged with a massive business email
and money laundering scam with about $3bn.
According to Thom Mrozek, a spoke man for the US
Attorney’s office, most of the individuals alleged to be involved in the scheme
are based in Nigeria while more than a dozen individuals were arrested during a
raid in Thursday mostly in the Los Angeles area.
Premium times reports that the indictment was
unsealed after law enforcement authorities, led by the FBI, Thursday morning
arrested 14 defendants across the United States, with 11 of those arrests
taking place in the Los Angeles region.
Two defendants were already in federal custody on
other charges, and one was arrested earlier this week. The remaining defendants
are believed to be abroad, with most of them located in Nigeria.