The Federal High Court, Abuja Division, has ordered the final forfeiture of $163,592 fraudulently obtained by a suspect, Akpasi Michael Oziegbe, in an international fraud involving a United States-based law firm.
In a statement on Friday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said the judge, M.S. Liman, granted the non-conviction-based forfeiture after Mr Oziegbe failed to establish ownership of the funds.
The money was traced to the domiciliary account of Micoz Bluelink Enterprise, operated by Mr Oziegbe, at the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc.
The EFCC said Mr Oziegbe impersonated a former employee of Applied Industrial Technologies, Edward Campbell, who sustained an accident while on duty, to deceive the law firm of Steven J. Mandel & Co. into releasing settlement funds.
It added that the law firm received a request for legal representation on June 27, 2022, from an individual identifying himself as Edward Campbell.
The impersonator claimed he was seeking to enforce a settlement agreement with his former employer over an accident arising from his employment, alleging that the company had failed to pay the agreed compensation.
The law firm was informed that Applied Industrial Technologies issued a cheque of $165,157 on behalf of Mr Campbell. Acting on the impersonator’s request, the firm deducted its legal fees and transferred $163,592 to the designated account on July 20, 2022.
However, on July 21, 2022, JP Morgan Chase Bank notified the law firm that the cheque was altered and fictitious. The law firm thereafter contacted Applied Industrial Technologies, confirmed the transaction was fraudulent, and reported the incident to the United States Secret Service.
UBA flagged the inflow as suspicious, sought confirmation through its correspondent bank, Citibank, and placed a lien on the funds after JP Morgan Chase Bank requested a refund. Mr Oziegbe claimed the money was payment for materials supplied to the United States but failed to provide documents to prove his claim.
The EFCC had earlier secured a freezing order on September 9, 2024, and an interim forfeiture order on August 15, 2025, inviting interested parties to show cause why the money should not be finally forfeited. The commission earlier declared Oziegbe wanted in connection with the fraud.