Nigerian Hacker Bags 90-Month US Jail Term Over Fraud, Faces Deportation

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

James Junior Aliyu, a Nigerian national, has been sentenced to 90 months (7.5 years) in prison for his role in a sophisticated wire fraud and money laundering scheme that involved plans to hack business email servers.

Aliyu was extradited from South Africa to the United States, where he faced prosecution for the cross-border cybercrime operation.

In addition to his prison term, the court ordered him to forfeit $1.2 million and pay $2.4 million in restitution to victims affected by the scheme.

Authorities confirmed that Aliyu will be deported from the United States upon completing his sentence.

The investigation was carried out by an international team that included agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its Homeland Security Investigations unit, HSI, with support from offices in Maryland and South Africa.

Officials say the case highlights growing global cooperation in tackling cybercrime networks.