Nigerian Man Sent to American Prison Over Marriage for Citizenship Scam

According to the information posted on the Department of Justice (DOJ) website and on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) X (formerly Twitter) page, Mba also attempted to obtain U.S. permanent residency through multiple fraudulent marriages after his initial application was denied and he was ordered to be removed from the country.

According to the DOJ, from 2018 to 2023, Leslie Mba and his co-conspirators carried out email compromise and romance scams where they defrauded their victims of up to $4M. Mba had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit false statements in immigration documents on December 4, 2025.

For his crimes, Mba has now been sentenced to serve 228 months (19 years) in federal prison by U.S. District Judge David Hittner.

U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. described the romance scams as among the “lowest and most despicable forms of fraud because they prey upon the lonely and vulnerable, and disproportionately victimize senior citizens.” Ganjei also added that following his prison term, Mba, who is not a US citizen, will receive a one-way ticket back to Nigeria.  

According to the charges filed against them, Mba and his co-conspirators led the victims to believe they were sending money to legitimate businesses, but Mba instead funneled the funds to accounts they controlled while acting as money mules, opening or using existing bank accounts to collect and move proceeds from the fraud.

The DOJ stated that Mba will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Since President Trump started his second term in office in January 2025, his administration has ramped up actions against crime and illegal migration, which he vowed to greatly cut down on and also deport record numbers of aliens during his campaign.