Iowa

Nigerian, Ugandan sentenced for email scam hitting Iowa company

Published

4 months ago

January 27, 2024

Nigerian, Ugandan sentenced for email scam hitting Iowa company

Two men charged in an email scam that cost an Iowa company and other victims as much as $10 million have received years-long federal prison sentences.

Emmanuel Ogbeide, 28, a Nigerian national living in Dallas, was sentenced by an Iowa federal judge on Jan. 18 to more than seven years in prison. That comes after his father, 50-year-old Kingsley Ogbeide of Uganda, was sentenced in September to more than 10 years. Emmanuel Ogbeide’s girlfriend, Vemuna Katjaimo, also was charged in the conspiracy and was sentenced in September to time served.

The three were accused of using falsified emails to trick businesses into sending money intended for other companies to them instead. Such so-called business email compromise scams are a growing cybersecurity threat, with the FBI reporting nearly 280,000 incidents costing companies almost $51 billion from 2013 to 2022.

More: Cancer fraud scheme nets Iowa woman suspended sentence

In court filings, prosecutors say the defendants, led by Kingsley Ogbeide, defrauded at least 14 companies over many months, costing the victims between $3.5 million and $9.5 million. At least one of those victims was based in Iowa, with prosecutors saying a Muscatine company wired more than $265,000 meant to pay legitimate invoices to an account controlled by the scammers.

In addition to receiving prison sentences, the defendants have been ordered to pay nearly $1.6 million in restitution to victims.

Scammers attempt to steal money from Des Moines Water Trails bank account

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.

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Iowa

Iowa Park vs Jacksboro – Regional Quarterfinals, game 1

Published

4 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

Iowa Park vs Jacksboro – Regional Quarterfinals, game 1

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) – The Jacksboro Tigers and the Iowa Park Hawks meet every year in regular district play. This year they meet again with the chance to go to the regional semifinals.

Game one was held at Hoskins field in Wichita Falls on Friday night. Both starting pitchers had great games that kept the score tied at zero through five innings.

Jacksboro would eventually score first in the fifth inning and never look back.

The Tigers get the win, 5-0. Game two is Saturday at 2pm in Graham.

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Iowa

HEAT team brings added manpower to law enforcement agencies in NW Iowa, SW Minnesota

Published

11 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

HEAT team brings added manpower to law enforcement agencies in NW Iowa, SW Minnesota

IOWA GREAT LAKES (KTIV) – Much of Northwest Iowa is made up of smaller, rural communities. Many of those came together to create a SWAT unit, in a partnership that’s lasted decades.

The High-Risk Entry and Arrest Team, or HEAT, is made up of law enforcement officers from 28 agencies, including 11 sheriff’s offices and 17 police departments. The team covers nearly 6,500 square miles across 12 counties in northwest Iowa and southwest Minnesota, serving nearly 132,000 people. Averaging between 6 and 12 calls per year, the team is called in whenever necessary.

The High Risk Entry and Arrest Team, or HEAT, is made up of law enforcement officers from 28 agencies, including 11 sheriff’s offices and 17 police departments.(KTIV)

It’s a partnership that was created in the 90s to ensure no matter the incident, trained and skilled officers would be ready to serve at a moments notice.

“The chiefs and sheriffs of the region got together and knew that they couldn’t support a tactical team on their own,” said HEAT Commander Todd Schillinger, also an officer with the Arnolds Park Police Department. “So they pooled their resources, which was a great idea. And that just happened to happen in northwest Iowa, Southwest Minnesota. You get across that state lines, but all those things were taken care of back in the late 90s. The team went operational in 1999. And we’ve been going and growing since then.”

Schillinger helps coordinate coverage when a department needs the assistance on a call.

“They can range from high-risk arrest warrants to barricaded suspects, high-risk drug warrants, anything that the agencies aren’t either equipped or have the manpower or the training for, we act as that support unit,” he explained. “Without that, without that support team, I don’t know. You just couldn’t pull that many trained people in with specialty equipment with the smaller departments.”

Schillinger says having a close relationship with so many different agencies in the region has been a big benefit for not only the fellow officers, but their communities as well.

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