Lagos, Nigeria — The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has initiated legal proceedings to seize assets belonging to a Lagos-based internet fraudster, Ehiremen Aigbokhan, accused of stealing over ₦460 million worth of cryptocurrency through a sophisticated cyber scam targeting donors to Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration.
According to U.S. court documents, Aigbokhan and a network of accomplices orchestrated a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme by impersonating the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. The fraudsters reportedly created fake email addresses resembling those of committee officials, including co-chair Steve Witkoff, to trick unsuspecting donors into transferring large sums of cryptocurrency.
One notable incident occurred on December 26, 2024, when a victim received a fraudulent email from a domain crafted to closely mimic an official committee email. Believing the request to be legitimate, the victim transferred 250,300 USDT (Ethereum-based), equivalent to over ₦400 million, to a crypto wallet controlled by the fraudsters.
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The FBI’s civil forfeiture complaint seeks to recover the stolen digital assets, marking a significant step in the agency’s ongoing efforts to clamp down on international cybercrime.
Aigbokhan is reportedly still at large, as investigations continue in collaboration with Nigerian law enforcement agencies.
