Two former U.S. Air Force members jailed for $2.4m cyber fraud

Two former U.S. Air Force members, Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu and Harafat Mogaji, have been sentenced to a combined 189 months in federal prison for their involvement in an international cyber intrusion scheme. The defendants, who were residents of Delaware, orchestrated a multi-year campaign that defrauded businesses of more than $2.4 million through sophisticated phishing and email spoofing tactics.

Working with domestic and international co-conspirators, the pair targeted municipal governments, non-profits, and private companies across the United States. The scheme involved harvesting employee login credentials via email spamming to gain control of accounts. They then used spoofed email addresses to mimic legitimate suppliers and clients, redirecting payments to accounts controlled by the conspiracy.

Specific instances of the fraud included the diversion of $1.68 million from a victim in Iowa City, Iowa, to a Chicago-based bank account, as well as over $720,000 from a victim in Ohio.