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Three Defendants Sentenced for $2.6M Inheritance Scam

· 4 min read
Sara Khan
Compliance Analyst

In Hagatña, Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Attorney's Office for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands announced the sentencing of three defendants in connection to an advanced fee and money laundering scheme that defrauded 60 Guam-based investors out of approximately $2.6 million.

Conspiracy to Induce Bogus Fees and Expenses​

According to U.S. Attorney Shawn N. Anderson, the defendants, Sally Cruz Roberto, Monique Jones, and Okechukwu F. Iwuji, conspired to induce victims into paying supposed fees and expenses before they could receive their share of a supposed multimillion-dollar inheritance.

Sentencing of the Defendants​

  1. Sally Cruz Roberto: Sally, age 56, of Santa Rita, Guam, was sentenced to:

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

    She was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 38 counts of wire fraud during a jury trial on August 15, 2023.

  2. Monique Jones and Mekayda D. Jones: The sisters, Monique, age 49, of Dallas, Texas, and Mekayda, age 24, played essential roles in the fraud by maintaining bank accounts in the names of shell corporations to receive, withdraw, and transfer victim funds to other co-conspirators. They kept at least 10% of victim funds that flowed into their controlled bank accounts.

    • Monique Jones was sentenced to:
      • 48 months in prison
      • Three years of supervised release
      • Pay a restitution of $578,130
      • A $2,700 mandatory assessment fee
      • A $1,111,280 forfeiture money judgment

    She was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 25 counts of wire fraud, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments during the same trial on August 15, 2023.

    • Mekayda D. Jones was sentenced to:
      • 36 months in prison
      • Three years of supervised release
      • Pay a restitution of $387,160
      • A $1,600 mandatory assessment fee
      • A $801,210 forfeiture money judgment

    She, too, was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 14 counts of wire fraud, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments during the same trial on August 15, 2023.

  3. Okechukwu F. Iwuji: Okechukwu, a Nigerian citizen and former resident of Orlando, Florida, was sentenced to:

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

    He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and obtained at least $475,710 of victim funds, transferring some funds to third-party Nigerian bank accounts.

Concern and Awareness​

Anderson expressed concern over the scope of this criminal conspiracy, stating, "This far-reaching conspiracy preyed on 60 victims, nearly all of whom live in Guam." Detecting and prosecuting these types of scams can be challenging, especially due to their interstate and transnational nature.

Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill of the FBI advised the public to be wary of inheritance scams and only transact with people or organizations they trust:

"This sentence should make the public aware that these types of advanced fee scams, associated with inheritance matters, will be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Investigation and Prosecution​

The investigation was led by the FBI Guam Resident Agency in collaboration with the FBI 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, First Assistant United States Attorney and Criminal Chief in the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.