Three Defendants Sentenced for Inheritance Scam in Northern Mariana Islands: A $2.6 Million Financial Scandal

Hagatña, Guam – In a major financial scandal, three defendants have been sentenced by the United States District Court of Guam for their roles in an inheritance scam that defrauded Guam investors of approximately $2.6 million.

Defendants Convicted of Defrauding Guam Victims

Shawn N. Anderson, the United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced the sentencing of the following defendants:

Sally Cruz Roberto
Monique Jones
Mekayda D. Jones

The defendants had been found guilty of defrauding Guam victims by convincing them to pay substantial fees and expenses before being eligible to receive promised inheritance funds, under the false pretext of multimillion-dollar inheritance payouts.

Sentencing Details

Sally Cruz Roberto

Sally Cruz Roberto, a 56-year-old resident of Santa Rita, Guam, was sentenced to:

33 months in prison
Three years of supervised release
$1,030,990 in restitution
$3,900 mandatory assessment fee
$1,030,990 forfeiture money judgment

Roberto, convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 38 counts of wire fraud, had used her bank account to transfer fraudulent funds to accomplices.

Monique Jones

Monique Jones, a 49-year-old woman from Dallas, Texas, was sentenced to:

48 months in prison
Three years of supervised release
$578,130 in restitution
$2,700 mandatory assessment fee
$1,111,280 forfeiture money judgment

Jones, who was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 25 counts of wire fraud, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, helped maintain shell corporation bank accounts to receive, withdraw, and transfer stolen funds to accomplices across the country and beyond.

Mekayda D. Jones

Mekayda D. Jones, a 24-year-old woman from Dallas, was sentenced to:

36 months in prison
Three years of supervised release
$387,160 in restitution
$1,600 mandatory assessment fee
$801,210 forfeiture money judgment

Jones was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 14 counts of wire fraud, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. She operated shell corporation bank accounts to manipulate victim funds and retain a percentage.

Okechukwu F. Iwuji

Okechukwu F. Iwuji, a Nigerian citizen formerly living in Orlando, Florida, was sentenced on August 17, 2023, to:

45 months in prison
Three years of supervised release
$475,710 in restitution
$100 mandatory assessment fee
$475,710 forfeiture money judgment

Iwuji pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He received and transferred victim funds from Roberto and other co-conspirators to third-party accounts in Nigeria.

Successful Investigation and Prosecution

Anderson stated, “This widespread conspiracy targeted over 60 Guam citizens. The cases were challenging to investigate and prosecute due to their interstate and transnational dimensions. Our success in this investigation is due in large part to an excellent collaborative effort among various jurisdictions, with exceptional leadership from prosecutor Marivic P. David.”

FBI Warning

FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill explained, “This sentence serves as a reminder to the public about cases involving inheritance scams. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. If you suspect you have been defrauded, reach out to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.”

Investigation Collaboration

This investigation was led by the FBI Guam Resident Agency, with support from the 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 case was prosecuted by Marivic P. David, the First Assistant United States Attorney and Criminal Chief in the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.