By Victor Kanayo
A Nigerian athlete, Mercy Abire, is mostly going to jail after accepting being guilty of conspiracy in a fraud and money laundering case in the United States of America.
Abire and Co Conspirators’ Many Troubles
Abire, a long jumper, 28, was said to have committed the alleged crime together with fellow Nigerians – Raymond Ekevwo and Aniekeme Etim, a statement by the US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Mississippi revealed.
Ekevwo is a former 100m national champion.
They allegedly hatched various schemes between 2018 and 2022 to defraud unsuspecting victims as the three Nigerian athletes, according to the statement, were indicted over wire and mail fraud.
Specifically, Abire was accused of transferring over $100,000.00 to co-conspirators through her US bank account between November 2018 and April 2019.
Her alleged involvement in the financial dealings led to her being implicated in the money laundering operation.
From the court documents presented during the trial, the trio masterminded online romance scams, online charity scams and other financial crimes, which generated substantial sums of money.
The money realised from the scheme was then transferred between the conspirators, with a considerable portion of the funds being sent overseas.
Following her plea, Abire, who was a student-athlete at Louisiana State University, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 30 and she now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment.
