Court Orders Final Forfeiture of $163,592 in US Law Firm Fraud

​ABUJA — The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has successfully secured a final forfeiture order for the sum of $163,592, which was fraudulently obtained through an international impersonation and wire fraud scheme orchestrated by a Nigerian businessman, Akpasi Michael Oziegbe.

​The ruling was delivered by Justice M. S. Liman of the Federal High Court in Abuja, following a rigorous non-conviction-based forfeiture application brought forward by the anti-graft agency. The EFCC legal team was led by prosecution counsel Ekele Iheanacho, SAN.

​Anatomy of an International Scam

​According to details unearthed during joint investigations by the EFCC and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the elaborate fraud unfolded across multiple international jurisdictions:

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• ​The Impersonation: In June 2022, an individual posing as Edward Campbell—a former employee of Applied Industrial Technologies who had allegedly sustained a workplace injury—approached the United States-based law firm, Steven J. Mandel & Co.
• ​The Settlement Ploy: The impersonator claimed the company had failed to honor an agreed-upon settlement following his workplace accident and instructed the law firm to help enforce the payout.
• ​The Fictitious Cheque: Applied Industrial Technologies supposedly issued a settlement cheque totaling $165,157 on behalf of the fake “Campbell”.

• ​The Wire Transfer: Following instructions from the fraudster, the law firm deducted its legal fees and wired the remaining balance of $163,592 to a designated domiciliary account operated by Micoz Bluelink Enterprise at the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc on July 20, 2022.

​The scheme unraveled the very next day when JP Morgan Chase Bank alerted the law firm that the underlying cheque was altered and fictitious. A subsequent check with Applied Industrial Technologies confirmed the transaction was a complete fabrication, triggering a swift report to the U.S. Secret Service and the FBI.

​Detection, Investigation, and Legal Battles

​Back in Nigeria, UBA flagged the inflow as suspicious and initiated a reconfirmation process through its correspondent bank, Citibank. Following a formal refund request from JP Morgan Chase Bank citing unjust enrichment, UBA placed an immediate lien on the funds.

​In a twist, Oziegbe attempted to outmaneuver the banks by petitioning the EFCC over alleged misconduct by UBA officials, claiming the funds were legitimate proceeds from international supplies. However, investigations by the EFCC’s Extractive Industry Fraud Section (EIFS)—bolstered by documentary evidence from the FBI—exposed the claims as baseless. Oziegbe failed to provide any supporting documentation to substantiate his commercial supply claims.

​”The court held that Oziegbe failed to establish ownership of the funds, noting that he illegally procured the services of the law firm to claim a settlement sum from a company where he was never even employed.”

​Final Forfeiture and Asset Recovery

​To prevent the dissipation of the illicit cash, the EFCC previously secured a freezing order on September 9, 2024, followed by an interim forfeiture order on August 15, 2025, which gave interested parties an opportunity to show cause why the funds should not be forfeited.

​With the final forfeiture order now granted by Justice Liman, the recovered $163,592 will be channeled back to the rightful victims at the Law Firm of Steven J. Mandel & Co. through the Federal Government of Nigeria.

​Oziegbe, who was earlier declared wanted by the EFCC in connection with the crime, failed to establish any legal claim to the money, underscoring the commission’s continued success in collaborative international asset recovery.