FBI agents arrested a man accused of swindling money from victims in a lottery scam.
Williams Eronini Njoku, 35, was arrested Wednesday night after his flight from Canada landed in Honolulu.
Njoku is a naturalized Canadian citizen from Nigeria.
Authorities say Njoku was indicted by a Los Angeles Federal Grand Jury in December 2011 for allegedly targeting fraud victims in the U.S. while he was in Canada.
Njoku and others allegedly lied to victims on the phone by saying they had won a lottery or sweepstakes and that the winnings could only be released if the victims wired money to Canada to pay fees, taxes or other expenses.
The indictment details five mailings and wirings in furtherance of this alleged fraud during 2008. All of the victims detailed in the indictment resided in California.
Authorities say the purpose of Njoku’s trip to Hawaii appears to have been tourism.
If convicted, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Njoku will appear in Honolulu U.S. District Court Thursday afternoon.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
