The United States Bureau of Prisons has released Nigerian businessman and convicted serial fraudster, Obinwanne Okeke, popularly known as Invictus Obi, after he spent about six years in prison for defrauding U.S.-based companies of approximately $11 million.
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Okeke, who was arrested in 2019, was no longer in custody as of Wednesday, with arrangements for his deportation to Nigeria currently underway in line with the terms of his guilty plea agreement.
He was arrested by FBI agents in August 2019 at the Dulles International Airport in Virginia while attempting to board a flight to Nigeria.
In February 2021, Okeke was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit computer fraud. However, he was released ahead of schedule, reportedly under the First Step Act prison reform policy signed into law by former U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term. The legislation allows for sentence reductions based on good behaviour and compliance with prison regulations, criteria he is believed to have met.
Court records show that Okeke orchestrated a sophisticated business email compromise scheme between 2015 and 2019. He unlawfully obtained login credentials belonging to Unatrac Holding Limited, a company involved in the export of Caterpillar industrial machinery, intercepted email communications, and diverted legitimate payments into accounts under his control, netting about $11 million.
FBI investigations revealed that Okeke masterminded the hacking operation, using impersonation and electronic subterfuge to defraud multiple victims.
“Through subterfuge and impersonation, Obinwanne Okeke engaged in a multi-year global business email and computer hacking scheme that caused a staggering $11 million in losses to his victims,” Raj Parekh, then Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement in 2021.
In Nigeria, the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court ordered the temporary forfeiture of more than ₦280 million traced to Okeke’s bank accounts.
Before his criminal activities became public, Okeke, now 38, had gained international recognition as a rising entrepreneur. In 2016, he was listed in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 as one of Africa’s most promising young business leaders.
Forbes described him as the founder of the Invictus Group, noting that he named the company after “Invictus,” one of Nelson Mandela’s favourite poems by William Ernest Henley, symbolising resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
At the time, the magazine praised Okeke’s investments across sectors including construction, agriculture, oil and gas, telecommunications, and real estate.
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