A fraudster nicknamed 'Fizzy' because of his love of champagne has been jailed for eight years for conning vulnerable pensioners out of their life savings. Frank Onyeachonam ran the UK end of global lottery scam that was orchestrated from his native Nigeria for seven years to fund his lavish millionaire’s lifestyle. It involved hundreds of perpetrators in several countries, detectives say.
In the UK, 38-year-old Onyeachonam conned pensioners out of sums from £2,000 to £600,000, deliberately targeting his victims because they were potentially vulnerable to his tactics
While he bled them of their life savings, Onyeachonam enjoyed a life of fast cars, champagne and designer clothes.
Pictures he posted on Facebook show he spent the cash on Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Armani designer clothes, Rolex watches, Porsches and Maseratis. He even stuck wads of what look like £50 notes in his Buzz Lightyear toy.
Onyeachonam, of Canning Town, east London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiracy to defraud following a three-week trial.
Lawrencia Emenyonu, 38, and Bernard Armah[b][/b], 51, both of Wood Green, north London, were also found guilty of money laundering. All three denied the charges.
Emenyonu was jailed for 18 months while her partner Armah received an eight-month term.

Judge Rebecca Poulet QC, said there had been 'some very serious outcomes' for the victims caught up in the scam.
She told married father-of-two Onyeachonam: 'I judge your culpability to be very high. This was a very well thought out operation, sophisticated in both its planning and its operation.
'Mr Onyeachonam, you targeted these individuals because they were elderly and likely to agree and be tricked by this scam.'
This was demonstrated in the fraudster’s own notes in which he described them as 'crippled, old or poor', she said.


The harm that was caused to these people could not just be calculated in financial terms but also on the 'dreadful impact ' on their lives, mental capacity and relationships with loved-ones.
The judge went on: 'You contested the case in the face of powerful evidence. You demonstrated the arrogance that you must have carried with you throughout this fraud by continuing after you knew that the police had raided your premises.'
The ruse - known as an 'advance fee' fraud - saw Onyeachonam send victims emails claiming they had won millions of pounds on a non-existent Australian lottery and requesting a charge to release their winnings. Investigators traced 14 victims - mainly from the U.S. but including one from Britain - who were defrauded of a total of around £900,000.
But detectives believe this is the 'tip of the iceberg' with evidence suggesting there may have been as many as 400 victims and the sum may be as high as £30 million.
Onyeachonam was seen as the key figure in the UK but police suspect a criminal network was in place in several countries around the world. Authorities found an alleged co-conspirator abroad had an email containing the details of more than 100,000 potential victims.

The defendant was thought to have started working on the scam almost immediately after he arrived in the UK from Nigeria in 2005, and was said to have carried on into 2012 while he was on bail following his arrest the year before.
His crimes were uncovered in a three-year operation led by the National Crime Agency with assistance from the Postal Inspection Service and Internal Revenue Service in the US.
When they raided his luxury apartment in Canary Wharf police discovered an 'Aladdin’s cave' of evidence pointing to an advanced fee scam.
Among 200 exhibits were notebooks containing the names, addresses, cash tallies and other personal details relating to 406 people. Police estimate that the fraud is likely to have run to at least £5 million and possibly as high as £30 million[b][/b] if all those in the notebooks suffered losses

Mr Brown said he lived a 'cash rich' lifestyle, earning the nickname 'Fizzy' for his taste for expensive champagne. Photographs show him surrounded by cash and bubbly in nightclubs.
His car collection included Porsches and Maseratis while his Thames-side flat was full of luxury brands such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton when it was searched by police.
Onyeachonam was the key figure as far as the 'UK nexus' was concerned but detectives believe this was part of an international enterprise.
The alleged mastermind or 'chairman' of the network is based in Nigerian capital Lagos and he is currently under investigation by authorities there.
Asked how many people were working on the global scam, Mr Brown said: 'Name a country and there seems to be a connection. It’s been almost impossible for us to track everybody down. They’ve all got responsibility for their own country.'
The prosecution has moved for a confiscation hearing for Onyeachonam.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2679755/Nigerian-conman-called-Fizzy-loved-champagne-scammed-pensioners-life-savings-fake-lottery-fund-lavish-party-lifestyle.html

Every day for the thief, one day for the owner. Itz just a matter of time before one is caught

That is an Ibo name? Which state is he or his father from??

ibo people!!! giving Nigeria bad name since 1914

UK biggest conman my ar5e . .. . .

Most chief execs of UK banks dey scam pass this one - and even then get payoffs when they are caught.

---

Hmm

KWENU!!!! YAAAAAAAAAH!!!!

madam_oringo: That is an Ibo name? Which state is he or his father from??

Lagos....where else,

^^^^

God forbid!

I reject that for Lagosians and every other Yoruba!!!

If only they could used their tricks in right direction.

babe_online: ^^^^

God forbid!

I reject that for Lagosians and every other Yoruba!!!

Igbo's have 'colonized' and own 47% of Lagos, , , , ,

Hian!
On-b-live-ebo
D guy wicked sha o...

babe_online: ^^^^

God forbid!

I reject that for Lagosians and every other Yoruba!!!

I hope you didn't include the igbo part of lagos in your lagosians

Nwa_Nimo:

Igbo's have 'colonized' and own 47% of Lagos, , , , ,

With money they got from Lagos/YorubaLand abi?

You guys should better start praying Naij does not split. If it does, your tax will be hefty.

You cannot reap where you did not sow.

FreeGlobe:
I hope you didn't include the igbo part of lagos in your lagosians

God forbid!

I mean Lagosians. Just as some of you will say Imolites. You people(ibos) know who you mean when you people say that.

madam_oringo: That is an Ibo name? Which state is he or his father from??

His father is from the Aguleri evil forest.

Nwa_Nimo:

Lagos....where else,

stop denying ur kinsmen.he is obviously from d eastern shithole like u.idustrious criminals

babe_online:
With mpney they gor from Lagos/YorubaLand abi?

You guys sould better start praying Naij does not split. If it does, your tax will be hefty.

You cannot reap where you did not sow.

And your 'rents' will go up in Lagos.....

(Imagine an 'Igbo man' renting from a 'non igbo' in Igbo land? - sh..iit like dat will never happen)

^^^

Non Yoruba's will pay special tax.

babe_online: ^^^

Non Yoruba's will pay special tax.

And Yoruba's will pay increased rent on the 'igbo' properties they occupy,

Christy G: stop denying ur kinsmen.he is obviously from d eastern shithole like u. idustrious criminals

LMFAO!!

Nwa_Nimo:

And Yoruba's will pay increased rent on the 'igbo' properties they occupy,

Ibos with 2X2 shops will be deported to alaibo.

With that, Lagos will be -90% ibos.

Ibo kwenu...kwenu ooo

thats my ibo brother doing us proud over there in U.K

cheiii,i hope Oyel moni safe my Uncle Uche soon amemm oo

cheiiii

babe_online:
Ibos with 2X2 shops will be deported to alaibo.

With that, Lagos will be -90% ibos.

You are getting him wrong nah ma'am he meant ajegunle aka lagos slum,Ibo plenty there so teyy,enh

no be tok am o nah wetin we all knw o
ehn eh,i don tok my own o

madam_oringo: That is an Ibo name? Which state is he or his father from??

Are you an idiott? All the time. Madam_oringo? Or do you take sunday's off for good behaviour??

Keep deceiving yourselves, last i checked, the article says Nigerian, not Igbo or Yoruba.

I was actually hoping to see a discuss where you guys would be debating how to curb this scourge, but here you are grown up men and ladies and supposedly educated folks trying trading blames on which ethnic group the criminal belongs to. Some of you shouldn't have gotten a formal education at all, cuz i think it is a waste. I pity you Nigerians, i really do.

yoruba people wey like scam pass money sef...go dere house na jazz full every where,,,,ndi iberibe

Nwa_Nimo:

And Yoruba's will pay increased rent on the 'igbo' properties they occupy,

Which ibo property? What property does a Mai-rent ibo own in Yoruba land? The day of your sorrows are surely coming, I make you a big promise! The days you will cry worse than 1967 - 1970! Only one war made you cry so hard, this time you will cry in every way even before the first shot of war is fired in your Iboland! Your punishment will not stop till the end of time!