CEO of Invictus Group, Obinwanne ‘Invictus Obi’ Okeke has pleaded guilty to $11 million (N4.2 billion) computer and wire fraud in a US court.
Okeke, who was arrested at US airport on his way to Nigeria in August 2019, initially pled not guilty.
The young entrepreneur made the new plea on Thursday at the Norfolk Magistrate Court Room 2 of the United States District Court for Eastern District of Virginia, Premium Times reports.
An official from the court said;
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to Joshua Stueve, a spokesperson for the United States District Court, Okeke could spend 20 years maximum penalty in jail.
The next hearing for the case has been fixed to October 22, 2020.
Robert Krask, an American judge of the district, certified the guilty plea to clear the paths for Okeke’s sentencing.
United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who made the arrest said Okeke and at least six other persons are involved in the crimes.
He and other alleged conspirators who are still at large were accused of targeting American businesses in a probe led by the FBI.
Illicit financial transactions were traced to a Gmail account believed to be owned by Okeke.
The transactions and conspiratorial communications with at least six other emails, according to the suspected fraudster, were carried out between 2016 and 2019.
Okeke has a degree in International Studies and Forensic Criminology and Masters of International Relations and Counter-Terrorism Studies from Monash University in Australia, according to his official profile.
He was named on the Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 in 2016 and was featured on the magazine’s June 2016 cover.
Okeke also appeared regularly in Nigerian and international media and has earned high praises from politicians in the country.
His Invictus Group claims to have investments in oil and gas, construction, energy solutions, technology and agriculture.
