Fraud convict, Obinwanne Okeke, more popularly known as Invictus Obi, has appealed against his recent sentence to10 years’ imprisonment by a U.S. cour
Fraud convict, Obinwanne Okeke, more popularly known as Invictus Obi, has appealed against his recent sentence to10 years’ imprisonment by a U.S. court.
The 33-year-old Nigerian, who was arrested in the U.S. on August 6, 2019, pleaded guilty to the offence of conspiracy to commit wire fraud last year June.
U.S. authorities said victims lost nearly $11 million (about N4 billion) to the large-scale fraud perpetrated through global business email and computer hacking schemes between 2015 and 2019 and this earned him a 10 year sentence by a court in the Eastern District of Virginia on February 16.
The judge also ordered him to restitute about $10.7 million proceeds of his fraud to the U.S. government.
Despite initially waiving in his plea agreement with authorities, his right of appeal,Okeke made a U-turn filed his notice of appeal against the sentence, PremiumTimes is reporting.
His notice of appeal and other accompanying documents were filed at the U.S Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Virginia
“I, the above-named appellant, hereby appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from the above-stated sentence,” he added.
A notice of the Court of Appeals issued on February 25 assigned case number 21-4075 to the appeal and declared it “open”.
Okeke is likely going to be arguing that the sentence imposed along with restitution and forfeiture orders issued against him was excessive.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) operatives arrested him on August 6, 2019, on a criminal complaint about computer and wire fraud to defraud Unatrac Holding Limited, which has its headquarters in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He was arrested at Dulles International Airport, Virginia, as he prepared to depart the U.S. after a visit to witness the birth of his 20-month-old daughter born on July 15, 2019.
