Nigerian National Sentenced to Over 8 Years in Prison for Orchestrating Multimillion-Dollar Inheritance Fraud Scheme

 

A Nigerian National was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for participating in a years-long conspiracy to defraud elderly and vulnerable Americans through an inheritance fraud scheme.

According to court documents, Tochukwu Albert Nnebocha, 44, of Nigeria, and his co-conspirators operated a lucrative transnational inheritance fraud scheme that exploited vulnerable people in the United States. Over the course of more than seven years, Nnebocha and his co-conspirators sent hundreds of thousands of personalized letters to elderly individuals in the United States, falsely claiming that the sender was a representative of a bank in Spain and that the recipient was entitled to receive a multimillion-dollar inheritance left by a deceased family member. The conspirators then told the victims that, before they could receive their purported inheritance, they were required to send money for purported delivery fees, taxes, and payments regarding the inheritance. In total, the defendant and his co-conspirators defrauded over 400 U.S. victims of more than $6 million.

In April 2025, Nnebocha was arrested by authorities in Poland and extradited to the United States in September 2025. In November 2025, Nnebocha pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. At sentencing, Nnebocha was sentenced to 97 months in prison, 3 years supervised release, and ordered to pay more than $6.8 million in restitution to the victims of his scheme. This is the second indicted case related to this international fraud scheme. Eight co-conspirators from the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, and Nigeria have previously been convicted and sentenced in connection with this scheme.  

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Miami Division; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Ray Rede of the Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) in Arizona made the announcement.

USPIS and HSI investigated the case. 

Senior Trial Attorney Phil Toomajian and Trial Attorney Joshua D. Rothman of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) worked with law enforcement partners in Poland to secure the arrest and extradition of Nnebocha.   OIA, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the FBI’s Legal Attache in Poland, INTERPOL, and Polish Authorities, all provided critical assistance.

If you or someone you know is aged 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim, and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is staffed seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time. English, Spanish and other languages are available.

Attorney General James Announces Conviction of NYPD Sergeant on Manslaughter Charge

 

Sgt. Erik Duran Threw a Cooler at Eric Duprey, Causing His Death

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the conviction of New York City Police Department (NYPD) Sergeant Erik Duran, 38, of Putnam County, on the charge of Manslaughter in the Second Degree. On August 23, 2023, Sgt. Duran, a member of the NYPD Narcotics Borough Bronx (NBBX) Tactical Response Unit, forcefully threw a cooler at Eric Duprey, 30, as he was driving a motorized scooter, causing Mr. Duprey’s death.

Sgt. Duran was found guilty in a bench trial before Judge Guy Mitchell in Bronx Supreme Court. He is due back in court for sentencing on March 19, 2026. Manslaughter in the Second Degree carries a maximum sentence of 5 to 15 years in prison. Judge Guy Mitchell set bail at $300,000 bond or $500,000 partially secured bond, with $300,000 cash alternative.

“I offer my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Eric Duprey,” said Attorney General James. “Though it cannot return Eric to his loved ones, today’s decision gives justice to his memory.”

Pursuant to New York Executive Law Section 70-b, the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Office of Special Investigation (OSI) assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person, by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

Governor Hochul Signs Medical Aid in Dying Act into New York State Law

Legislation S.138/A.136 Gives New Yorkers the Choice to Suffer Less – to Shorten Not Their Lives, but Their Deaths

Governor Hochul Secured Key Additional Guardrails Ensuring Integrity of Patient Decision and Preparedness of Medical Institutions

Governor Hochul signed legislation S.138/A.136 that will allow medical aid in dying to be available to terminally ill New Yorkers with less than six months to live. This historic bill signing comes after careful reflection and deliberation with the sponsors of the bill, advocacy organizations, and everyday New Yorkers brave enough to share their personal experiences in order to get this legislation across the finish line.

“Our state will always stand firm in safeguarding New Yorkers' freedoms and right to bodily autonomy, which includes the right for the terminally ill to peacefully and comfortably end their lives with dignity and compassion,” Governor Hochul said. “This journey was deeply personal for me. Witnessing my mother's suffering from ALS was an excruciating experience, knowing there was nothing I could do to alleviate the pain of someone I loved. It took years of intimate discussions with our bill sponsors, health experts, advocates, and most importantly, families who have similar firsthand experiences. New Yorkers deserve the choice to endure less suffering, not by shortening their lives, but by shortening their deaths — I firmly believe we made the right decision.”

The bill, as passed by the Legislature originally included a number of protections in order to ensure that no patient was coerced into choosing medical aid in dying and that no health care professional or religiously affiliated health facility would be forced to offer medical aid in dying. The Governor worked with the Legislature to include additional guardrails that will make sure people won’t be taken advantage of, while still ensuring terminally ill New Yorkers have the choice to die comfortably and on their own terms, including:

• A mandatory waiting period of 5 days between when a prescription is written and filled.
• An oral request by the patient for medical aid in dying must be recorded by video or audio.
• A mandatory mental health evaluation of the patient seeking medical aid in dying by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
• A prohibition against anyone who may benefit financially from the death of a patient from being eligible to serve as a witness to the oral request or an interpreter for the patient.
• Limiting the availability of medical aid in dying to New York residents.
• Requiring that the initial evaluation of a patient by a physician be in person.
• Allowing religiously-oriented home hospice providers to opt out of offering medical aid in dying.
• Ensuring that a violation of the law is defined as professional misconduct under the Education Law.
• Extending the effective date of the bill to six months after signing to allow the Department of Health to put into place regulations required to implement the law while also ensuring that health care facilities can properly prepare and train staff for compliance.

Office of the New York State Comptroller Dinapoli - Weekly News: Bullying and Drug-Related Incidents in Schools on the Rise:

Bullying and Drug-Related Incidents in Schools on the Rise

A report by Comptroller DiNapoli found bullying and drug-related incidents statewide are on the rise, even exceeding pre-pandemic highs, while the rates for the number of serious violent and disruptive incidents remained near zero even after students returned to in-school instruction, and have stayed low. The report examined seven years of data from the New York State Education Department’s School Safety and Educational Climate report.

“Reliable public data about school safety is critical and informs where we need to address problems and identify solutions,” DiNapoli said. “This report builds on my office’s previous work examining violent and disruptive incidents in our schools. It’s disturbing to see the rise in bullying and drug-related incidents. We need to do everything we can to make sure students and teachers feel safe and this data shows there is more to do inside and outside our schools to meet these goals.”

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Local Sales Tax Collections Grew in 2025

Local government sales tax collections in New York state totaled $24.4 billion in calendar year 2025, an increase of 4.5%, or $1 billion, from 2024, according to a report released by Comptroller DiNapoli. Growth in 2025 was higher than the 3.8% average annual growth rate from the 2010 to 2019 period of recovery following the Great Recession and before the pandemic. 

“Local sales tax growth ticked up last year,” said DiNapoli. “However, with the potential for policy changes at the federal level to affect every level of government funding, as well as the continued impact of tariffs, local officials must budget carefully to safeguard the services their communities rely on.”

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A G E N C Y   A U D I T S

• Department of Financial Services – Virtual Currency Licensing (Follow-Up)
• Department of Health, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene – Oversight of the Practice of Funeral Directing
• Workers’ Compensation Board – Assessment of Costs to Administer the Workers’ Compensation Program for the State Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2024
• Office of Mental Health – Controls Over the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (Follow-Up)
• New York City Department of Transportation – New York City Bike Share Program: Oversight of Revenue Collection and Monitoring
• New York Power Authority – Selected Management and Operations Practices – BuildSmart NY/Executive Order 88
• State University of New York – Oversight of Study Abroad Programs
• Department of Health: Medicaid Program – Improper Payments for Drugs Without a Federal Drug Rebate Agreement

A L S O   I N   T H E   N E W S 

Bullying and drug incidents are up in New York schools post-Pandemic 

Report: Bullying & drug-related cases in New York schools rising 

Is it time to use those gift cards lingering in your wallet? The State Comptroller's Office says probably 

Federal farm policies are hitting close to home in Tompkins County 

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P O S T   O F   T H E   W E E K

 

Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association Feb.10th Meeting

 

THE PELHAM PARKWAY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION  HAS BOOKED A GREAT GUEST FOR TUESDAY FEB.10! THE NEW OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY AT 626 PELHAM PARKWAY SOUTH (THE OLD APPLE BANK) FIND OUT WHAT THEY INTEND TO DO AT THAT SITE !The Community meeting will be held at Bronx House,990 Pelham Parkway South Bx NY 10461.We start at 7 pm sharp.!!We look foward to seeing all of you at this event.Please find us on FaceBook ,Instagram.