Anthony Ibekie Gets 20 Years, Samuel Aniukwu 10 Years for Inheritance and Romance Scams Run From Chicago Suburbs

Case from 2020–2026 (U.S. Attorney's Office latest release: Nov. 22, 2024; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Anthony Emeka Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, Illinois, was sentenced Nov. 21, 2024, to 20 years in federal prison. Samuel Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, Illinois, was sentenced Nov. 8, 2024, to 10 years. The two Nigerian nationals ran online inheritance scams, romance scams and a business email compromise scheme that caused at least $3.5 million in losses, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois [1]. A third defendant, Jennifer Gosha of Oak Park, received probation [3]. On March 30, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed Ibekie's conviction [4].

How the scams worked

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office and court records [1] [2] [4]:

1. Fake inheritances. Using aliases, the defendants told people across the U.S. that they had inherited large sums and needed to pay fees to collect the money. The Seventh Circuit's order describes how the scheme worked. Letters, sent to thousands of people and many of them elderly, came from supposed bank employees, including a fictional "Peter Pfizer." The letters said a distant relative had died and pointed recipients to a fictitious lawyer, who told them to wire or mail fees to accounts the defendants controlled. In 2020, prosecutors said in a court filing that letters claiming to be from "Standard Charter Financial Group" were found on a phone seized from Aniukwu.
2. Romance scams. The defendants built fake online relationships through social media and dating sites, including Match.com and OKCupid.com, according to the 2020 charges. Then they persuaded victims to send money to a chosen recipient.
3. Business email compromise. They broke into corporate email accounts, blocked mail to those accounts and used them to try to trick people into sending wire transfers, according to the complaint.
4. Laundering. According to the charges, they set up fictitious businesses and opened many bank accounts in those businesses' names to launder the money.

An undercover law enforcement investigation uncovered the schemes [1]. The Seventh Circuit's order says an undercover investigator recorded a call in which Ibekie posed as "Pfizer" and explained how to get around a bank's fraud detection [4].

The defendants

Anthony Emeka Ibekie, 59, Oswego, Ill. A federal jury convicted him in 2024 on all 14 counts: wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, false statements to a bank and passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced him Nov. 21, 2024, to 20 years in prison [1]. On appeal, Ibekie challenged only the denial of his motion for acquittal on one wire fraud count. The Seventh Circuit affirmed in a nonprecedential order dated March 30, 2026 [4].

Samuel Aniukwu, 50, Romeoville, Ill. He pleaded guilty in 2023 to wire fraud and money laundering and was sentenced Nov. 8, 2024, to 10 years [1]. CBS News reported that he agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as part of his plea deal [3].

Jennifer Gosha, 52, Oak Park, Ill. A U.S. citizen, she pleaded guilty in 2024 to wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent [1]. CBS News reported in January 2025 that she was sentenced to three years of probation, the first six months on house arrest [3]. Court records show the judgment was entered Feb. 18, 2025. CBS reported that Gosha had been dating Ibekie and said she herself was a romance scam victim who became a money mule. Her attorney told CBS that Ibekie "exploited her best qualities and manipulated her."

The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with help from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office [1].

Red flags

• A letter or email saying you've inherited money from a relative you've never heard of.
• Having to pay "fees" before you can collect an inheritance or prize. Real estates take costs out of the inheritance itself.
• An online partner you've never met in person who asks for money, or asks you to receive and forward money for them. That can make you a money mule.
• Payment instructions sent by email that suddenly change, a common sign of business email compromise.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Don't pay to receive money. Check any inheritance claim independently with a probate court or your own lawyer.
2. Never move money for someone you met online.
3. Report fraud to the FBI at ic3.gov, and report suspicious letters to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at uspis.gov.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Anthony Emeka Ibekie, 59, Oswego, Ill.	N.D. Ill. (1:20-cr-352); 7th Cir. No. 24-3234	Convicted at trial on all 14 counts (2024); sentenced Nov. 21, 2024, to 20 years; conviction affirmed March 30, 2026	[1], [4]
Samuel Aniukwu, 50, Romeoville, Ill.	N.D. Ill.	Pleaded guilty (2023); sentenced Nov. 8, 2024, to 10 years	[1], [3]
Jennifer Gosha, 52, Oak Park, Ill.	N.D. Ill.	Pleaded guilty (2024); sentenced to 3 years of probation including 6 months of house arrest (judgment entered Feb. 18, 2025)	[1], [3]

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Two Chicago-Area Residents Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conducting Online Inheritance and Romance Scams," Nov. 22, 2024. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/two-chicago-area-residents-sentenced-federal-prison-conducting-online-inheritance-and
2. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Three Chicago-Area Residents Charged With Conducting Online Romance Fraud and Other Schemes," July 21, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/three-chicago-area-residents-charged-conducting-online-romance-fraud-and-other-schemes
3. CBS News, "Romance scam 'money mules' sentenced in case that ended with Illinois woman's death," Jan. 20, 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/romance-scam-money-mules-sentenced-illinois/
4. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, United States v. Ibekie, No. 24-3234 (order, March 30, 2026), via Justia. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca7/24-3234/24-3234-2026-03-31.html

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