A 40-year-old Nigerian man, Leslie Chinedu Mba, who illegally resided in Houston, has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison for his role in a romance scam and business email compromise scheme.
The U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei, announced this in a press statement issued by the Department of Justice on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
Mba pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit false statements in immigration documents December 4, 2025.
U.S. District Judge David Hittner has now ordered Mba to serve 228 months in federal prison.
Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
At the hearing, the court heard that victims were defrauded of over $4 million.
I’m Out of all the frauds perpetrated by Leslie Mba and his co-conspirators, their weaponization of romance scams to deliberately target vulnerable and elderly Americans is most disturbing,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson.
