Financial Crime World

Title: Major Crackdown on Financial Fraud in Northern Mariana Islands: Four Defendants Sentenced for Inheritance Scam and Money Laundering

Victory against Financial Crime in Northern Mariana Islands

Fagatuna, Guam - In a significant step towards combating financial crime, United States Attorney Shawn N. Anderson announced the sentencing of four individuals involved in an intricate advance fee and money laundering scheme based in the Northern Mariana Islands. The defendants, including two women from Guam and Texas, and a Nigerian national who previously resided in Florida, were found guilty of orchestrating a multimillion-dollar scam that defrauded 60 Guam-based victims.

defendants and Their Penalties

On August 15, 2023, the following defendants were sentenced in the United States District Court of Guam:

  1. Sally Cruz Roberto (age: 56; Santa Rita, Guam) was sentenced to:

    • 33 months in prison
    • Three years supervised release
    • Pay $1,030,990 in restitution
    • Pay a $3,900 mandatory assessment fee
    • Pay a $1,030,990 forfeiture money judgment
    • Convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 38 counts of wire fraud

  2. Monique Jones (age: 49; Dallas, Texas) was given:

    • 48-month prison term
    • Three years supervised release
    • Pay $578,130 in restitution
    • Pay a $2,700 mandatory assessment fee
    • Pay an $1,111,280 forfeiture money judgment
    • Convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 25 counts of wire fraud, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments

  3. Mekayda D. Jones (age: 24; Dallas, Texas) received:

    • 36 months in prison
    • Three years supervised release
    • Pay $387,160 in restitution
    • Pay a $1,600 mandatory assessment fee
    • Pay a $801,210 forfeiture money judgment
    • Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 14 counts of wire fraud, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments

Role of the Defendants in the Criminal Scheme

As part of the conspiracy, Sally Cruz Roberto obtained approximately $1,030,990 from victim-investors and wired those funds to accounts of other co-conspirators within the United States and Nigeria. Monique and Mekayda Jones perpetuated the fraud by maintaining bank accounts under shell corporations’ names to receive, withdraw, and transfer victim funds to their co-conspirators in collaboration with Nigerian bank accounts. In return, they kept at least 10 percent of the victim funds that flowed into their controlled accounts.

Okechukwu F. Iwuji, a 38-year-old Nigerian citizen residing in Orlando, Florida, received a 45-month prison term, three years supervised release, restitution payment of $475,710, and a $475,710 forfeiture money judgment. Iwuji pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and transferred victim funds to third-party Nigerian bank accounts.

Impact on Victims and Addressing Advance Fee Scams

United States Attorney Anderson expressed his concern for the victims: “This far-ranging conspiracy targeted 60 victims, primarily residing in Guam. Scams like these are challenging to investigate and prosecute due to their interstate and transnational nature. The success in this matter illustrates the importance of collaboration across multiple jurisdictions and the outstanding leadership of our prosecutor, David. Our primary focus is to collect restitution for the victims.”

The FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill acknowledged the significant impact of such financial crimes on ordinary citizens: “Today’s sentence should serve as a reminder that advanced fee scams, especially those involving falsely claimed heritage inheritances, will be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted by the FBI and our law enforcement partners. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you feel you have fallen victim to a similar scam, please contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 (CALL-FBI) or reporting it to tips.fbi.gov.”

Collaboration and Leadership

The investigation was spearheaded by the FBI Guam Resident Agency, with additional assistance from FBI field offices in Dallas and Atlanta, Homeland Security Investigations in Orlando, Florida, the U.S. Secret Service in Dallas, and the Guam Police Department. The prosecution was led by Marivic P. David, the First Assistant United States Attorney and Criminal Chief in the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.