Obinwanne Okeke, the Abuja-based businessman arrested earlier this month for Internet fraud in the United States, has hired a new lawyer to help fight off the criminal charges levelled against him by American authorities.

Mr Okeke hired John Iweanoge, a Washington D.C.-based attorney of Nigerian origin, to take over from Rahul Sharma, a public defender, PREMIUM TIMES learnt from court documents.

Mr Sharma was appointed by a judge to stand as counsel to Mr Okeke because the suspect did not appear with a defence lawyer at his initial hearing on August 9.

Mr Iweanoge notified the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia later in the day on August 9 that he was stepping in to replace Mr Sharma as Mr Okeke’s lead counsel. He also said he had the suspect’s consent to represent him in the trial.

Mr Iweanoge, lead attorney at The Iweanoges Firm, has been practicing law the U.S. since 1993, according to the firm’s website. He has been running the law firm apparently with his family members.

In 2007, he was publicly reprimanded by the disciplinary board of Maryland Bar for misconduct. He protested the sanction in court and lost.

Mr Okeke, known widely in Nigeria as Invictus Obi, was remanded in custody of the U.S. Marshall Service indefinitely after his initial appearance before Theresa Buchanan, a magistrate. He had been arrested days before on August 6 in Dulles, Virginia, based on a criminal complaint filed against him by the F.B.I.

The foremost American law enforcement body had in June 2018 received complaints from Unatrac, an international subsidiary of heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, that Mr Okeke gained unauthorised access to the e-mail account of its chief financial officer and authorised a series of fictitious invoices to the tune of $11 million.

The F.B.I. also found that Mr Okeke had duped an American show manufacturer as part of a business email compromise (BEC) schemes that Mr Okeke and other accomplices had coordinated.

The grim options
Mr Okeke did not enter a plea at his initial arraignment on August 9, but he was remanded in custody indefinitely in accordance with the U.S. federal laws on the nature of the criminal complaints against him, according to Joshua Stueve, a spokesperson for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Mr Stueve told our correspondent that Mr Okeke had been presented with some options that would be decided in the coming days, even though no judge had been appointed to try the case proper.

“Since he was arrested on a criminal complaint, it means he could be held in custody pending trial,” Mr Stueve said by telephone Thursday night. “At this point, he will either plead guilty or the U.S. will present the matter to a grand jury.”

“The jury will decide whether to return indictment or not. If they decide to return indictment, he will be presented before a judge to enter a plea. If he pleads guilty, he would be sentenced. If he pleads not guilty, then a trial date will be set,” the official added.

He also told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Okeke had been moved from Alexandria to Norfolk, Virginia, where he would likely make his next appearance in court upon determination of a date.

“His initial appearance was in Alexandria, but his next appearance will be in Norfolk,” Mr Stueve said.

_______________________________________________________________________ Groundbreaking Guide For Lawyers: Adigwe Publishes ‘Artificial Intelligence For Lawyers’ With Free Research eBook The book also examines Nigeria's legal ecosystem, focusing on the LPELR and NBA AI Guidelines. As a bonus, every purchase comes with a FREE eBook titled: How to Use the AI Features in LegalPedia and LawPavilion. Ohio Books Ltd praises the publication, stating: "....this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic." How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626 Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACIarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria. _______________________________________________________________________

“Order Justice Omolaye-Ajileye’s Electronic Evidence Books Now” — Essential Guides On Evidence Act, Case Law And Digital Proof

Two leading books on electronic evidence by Hon. Justice Professor Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, Rtd., PhD, FICMC, are now available for purchase. The publications, Electronic Evidence (Second Edition), With The Evidence Act, 2011 and Compendium Of Cases On Electronic Evidence, Volume II, 2020–2025, provide practical guidance, legal analysis and recent judicial authorities on electronic evidence in Nigeria.Order directly from the author here: https://velvety-cendol-7387ed.netlify.app/ ______________________________________________________________________ [A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
“Evidence Act: Complete Annotation” by renowned legal experts Sanni & Etti.
Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation ________________________________________________________________________ “Enhance Legal Practice With Authoritative Reports” — Alexander Payne Offers Comprehensive Law Reports, Spanning Over A Century Of Nigerian Jurisprudence

Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via: 0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888 Website: www.alexandernigeria.com

_______________________________________________________________________