Chinedu Ekuma, a 45-year-old resident of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on Mar. 13 to just over one year in prison for his role in an internet fraud scheme that defrauded victims of nearly $2 million, according to United States Attorney David Metcalf.
Ekuma’s sentencing includes 12 months and one day in prison, two years of supervised release, a $10,000 fine, and restitution totaling $1,751,968. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge John M. Gallagher after Ekuma pleaded guilty last November to two counts of wire fraud.
According to court filings and admissions by Ekuma, the fraudulent activity took place between August 2020 and March 2023. During this period, Ekuma participated in schemes targeting both individuals and businesses who believed they were making legitimate payments for investments or personal reasons. Some victims were deceived into thinking their money was being used for investment opportunities that did not exist; others fell victim to romance or friendship scams.
Ekuma operated entities named Intelaris Solutions LLC and Verge Capital and opened several bank accounts under these names. He and others directed victims to send payments to these accounts by falsely claiming they were associated with the intended recipients. In reality, the accounts were controlled by Ekuma and had no legitimate connection with any of the victims. After receiving the funds, he transferred most proceeds to co-schemers while keeping some for himself.
The scheme involved creating fraudulent documents that misrepresented Intelaris Solutions and Verge Capital as entitled to receive payments from the victims. Overall losses exceeded $1.75 million with an additional $650,000 in attempted losses.
The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Allentown Resident Agency and IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Francis A. Weber.
