A Toronto man was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering after a three-day bench trial held before a U.S. district court judge in Pennsylvania.
According to U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, between 2008 and 2010, Henry Okpalefe and his co-conspirators stole over US$23 million from hundreds of lawyers and law firms in Pennsylvania and across the United States.
Under the guise of seeking legal representation, Okpalefe, 49, and the other conspirators would contact attorneys across the U.S. using fake email accounts. Once the lawyers would agree to represent the purported client, the conspirators would provide them with wire and cheque depositing instructions. The rendered operation was fraudulent, with Okpalefe and his other co-conspirators operating in Canada, Nigeria, Japan and South Korea.
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