Nigerian Accused Of Scamming Millions From Lawyers Extradited to US

Hey guys, I am back! Matching right back on to my blog with decisive legal steps. Stopping at attention, ready for a takeover with UDUAK LAW FIRM FASHIONENTLAW.COM Blog analysis!Yes I attended a private military academy for grade school, but that is a different story for another day.

Where did we leave off? Let’s gooooooooo!

Okay, so by now you all know I am of Nigerian heritage i.e. both parents are Nigerians, although I was born in the USA. So, when I see yet another story of Nigerians scamming Americans (419) and the world out of money, I obviously cringe. Not the kind of cringing that is ashamed of my heritage,  never that. But the kind of cringing that says, “there goes this knucklehead who just made it 10times harder for Nigerians, especially young professional Nigerian men, to fly while Nigerian.” As in “driving while black” is not enough, especially when in the USA and UK. Now Nigerians have to also deal with “flying while Nigerians,” double whammy.

As an attorney who also handlescriminal defense cases, I will hold off on commenting about guilt or innocence, “innocent until proven guilty, not so?”  But, I must say, if the alleged facts are true, then this “dude” was so messing with the wrong folks.

A TIP YOU NEVER SHOULD NEVER IGNORE: Whatever you do, don’t mess with the lawyers, that includes Judges aka ex-lawyers. Don’t be fooled by the looks, smile or charm a lawyer projects on you. 🙂 The inherent nature of a lawyer is to fight, relentlessly in most instances, whether it be passive aggressive fighting via transactional law or legal blood bath, via litigation. So, don’t do it. Just don’t do it.

So, scamming $31million , as alleged, from lawyers, is a really bad idea.  The lawyers will get you, even if you travel back to the stone age.

So, this guy allegedly scammed LAWYERS IN AMERICA and escaped to Nigeria to hide. True to form, the lawyers and law firms, working with the Nigerian government, dragged him out of hiding to return to the USA to face charges and voila, we have a trial on our hands people.

Let’s see how this shakes out. I KNOW I need not tell you all not to buy into the stereotype that Nigerians are scammers. It is sort of redundant to do so, innit?

I’d be interested to hear what Nigerians in the USA, especially males, have to say about re-branding the Nigerian image in the USA and abroad. Drop your thoughts below. The consistent PR campaign that Nigerians now enjoy as scammers is slowly but surely taking a stronghold globally. This is a major problem for Nigerians, wherever they may be, and the sooner they begin a PR campaign highlighting who they really are, the better, especially for the young Nigerian/Black male professionals coming up.

“LAGOS, Nigeria — A Nigerian man who fled to his homeland after being accused of defrauding dozens of lawyers and law firms of more than $31 million dollars has been extradited to the U.S., Nigeria’s anti-graft agency said Friday.

Emmanuel Ekhator was arrested in Nigeria’s Benin City by the country’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in August. He was handed over to U.S. marshals in New York on Thursday, said Femi Babafemi, the anti-graft body’s spokesman.

“With the latest extradition, … the message should be clear to anyone who travels abroad to commit crime and run back home to hide that Nigeria is no longer safe for them,” Farida Waziri, the anti-graft body’s chief, said in a statement. “We will get them and hand them over to face the law.”

Court records show Ekhator has yet to be assigned a lawyer. He remained in custody on Friday.

Charging documents from the U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Pennsylvania show that Ekhator and others are accused of mail and wire fraud after using bank accounts in South Korea, Singapore, China and Japan to collect the stolen money.”

Washington Post has the Full Story.

Phtoocredit: Sharpe Edge News.com