A Nigerian man serving 24 years in his country’s maximum-security prison was able to conduct an international scam operation that earned $1 million, according to the BBC.
The incident has raised suspicion on the prison officials, since fraudsters that make large amounts of money could easily bribe the poorly recompensed prison staff.
Officials said that Hope Olusegun Aroke, who was arrested in 2012 for internet fraud and imprisoned in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison, had access to the internet and worked with other people to target victims at an international level, according to Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), CNN reported.
Authorities said that he was taken to the hospital for an unrevealed illness and didn’t return to prison, instead going to hotels where he could see his children and wife and engage in other social activities.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the convict, against established standard practice, had access to internet and mobile phone in the correctional center where he is supposed to be serving his jail term,” said EFCC. “The circumstance of his admission into the hospital and those who aided his movement from the hospital to hotels and other social engagements is already being investigated.”
The authorities said that he opened two accounts using the fake name Akinwunmi Sorinmade. He also purchased properties in high-end neighborhoods and expensive cars.
“The convict was also in possession of his wife’s bank account token in prison, which he used to freely transfer funds,” the commission said.
Sentenced for Scams, Fake Heiress Not Sorry ‘For Anything’
A German con artist who was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison for swindling banks, hotels and wealthy New Yorkers says she’s not sorry for anything she did.
“The thing is, I’m not sorry,” Anna Sorokin told The New York Times in a jailhouse interview in May. “I’d be lying to you and to everyone else and to myself if I said I was sorry for anything. I regret the way I went about certain things.”
Prosecutors said Sorokin, a 28-year-old who was born in Russia, used a fake identity as a German heiress named Anna Delvey to scam victims out of more than $200,000.
They said she defrauded financial institutions and socialites into believing she had a fortune of $67 million. They said her ruse included an application for a $22 million loan to fund a private art club, complete with exhibitions, installations, and pop-up shops. She was denied that loan but persuaded one bank to lend her $100,000 that she failed to repay.
Sorokin was convicted on multiple counts of larceny and theft. Her sentencing capped a spectacular case that drew international attention and tabloid headlines. Netflix and HBO are both working on shows based on Sorokin’s scams.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
