A Nigerian man was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Johannesburg Specialized Commercial Crimes Court on Tuesday, April 8, for his involvement in a complex cyber-enabled fraud scheme that defrauded an American homebuyer out of over R3.2 million.
Popular nightclub owner Abdul Olatunji Samson was convicted of stealing and money laundering and was given two separate 10-year prison terms that were to run concurrently.
The case originated from a complaint filed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and was later investigated in partnership with the US Secret Service and South Africa’s Hawks.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane, the fraud was executed by intercepting email communications between the US victim and their conveyancing attorney during a property purchase.
“Samson manipulated the communication by substituting the attorney’s legitimate banking details with those linked to a fraudulent Bank of America account,” Mjonondwane explained.
As a result, the victim unknowingly transferred over $200,000 (around R3.2 million). Investigators found that R1.9 million of that amount directly benefitted Samson.
At the time of his arrest, Samson was already serving a 12-year sentence for fraud in an unrelated matter.
The court found that this prior conviction was an aggravating factor, indicating a clear pattern of criminal behavior.
At the time of his arrest, Samson was already serving a 12-year sentence for fraud in an unrelated matter. The court found that this prior conviction was an aggravating factor, indicating a clear pattern of criminal behaviour.
Lead investigator Colonel Oscar Mopedi played a key role in unravelling the international money trail, which led to the discovery that the stolen funds were channelled through multiple South African bank accounts before being accessed by the accused.
During sentencing, senior state advocate Ronel Dookun told the court that cyber fraud of this nature is particularly difficult to detect and prosecute, often requiring extensive cross-border collaboration and high-level technical expertise
