In a significant crackdown on international cyber fraud, Sahara Reporters has taken to it’s official X handle and announced that the U.S. Secret Service has seized $1.5 million from the Binance wallet of Nigerian serial fraudster Avwerosuo Omokri. The seizure, which is part of a broader investigation into online financial scams, was announced via Sahara Reporters’ official X handle.
A verified complaint for forfeiture in rem was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts under Civil No.: 25-CV-XXXXX-XX. The case lists the United States of America as the plaintiff and the cryptocurrency holdings—including 7.23918814 BTC—linked to user ID XXXXX3280 on Binance as the defendant in rem. The court found probable cause for forfeiture, confirming that the funds were proceeds from illicit activities.
According to court documents obtained by Sahara Reporters, Omokri’s fraudulent operations came under scrutiny after multiple victims reported losing funds to an elaborate investment scam. Special Agent Katrina Caulfield of the U.S. Secret Service, in a 54-paragraph affidavit dated February 16, 2025, detailed how the fraudster and his syndicate manipulated unsuspecting investors.
One of the victims, referred to as Victim 1, a resident of Newton, Massachusetts, filed a complaint in March 2024 after being scammed by a cryptocurrency investment scheme. She had joined a Facebook group named ‘Financial Independence Forum’, where members were lured with promises of financial freedom and early retirement through high-return investments.
In the group, she connected with a user named Tom Sheldon Haley, who posed as an investment expert. He convinced her to invest in Trade Propel, a fraudulent online trading platform. On March 13, 2024, she transferred 1.3 BTC from her Coinbase account to a wallet provided by Haley, expecting lucrative returns. However, when she attempted to withdraw her funds, she was told she needed to pay a tax on her earnings before accessing them—a classic hallmark of online investment fraud.
Agent Caulfield’s investigation revealed that Trade Propel was part of a sophisticated scam known as “Pig Butchering”—a fraud scheme that combines romance scams and financial cons. Scammers, often operating in syndicates, lure victims with false promises of love, financial prosperity, or investment expertise, eventually convincing them to send large sums of money.
The fraudulent nature of Trade Propel was evident:
The platform falsely claimed to be regulated by FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) and SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation).
Its website showcased fake endorsements from billionaire investors like George Soros, Paul Tudor Jones, and Ray Dalio.
No legitimate company information, contact details, or operational policies could be found.
The investigation traced Victim 1’s stolen Bitcoin to an intermediary wallet, which was then funneled through multiple accounts—a tactic fraudsters use to obfuscate the origin of illicit funds on the blockchain. However, despite the complex layering techniques, the U.S. Secret Service was able to track the final destination of the stolen assets.
Records from Binance revealed that Omokri’s account, registered under a Nigerian passport and the email johnrichie513@gmail.com, was accessed from at least four different devices. Investigators uncovered that his syndicate operated across various social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Match.com, using multiple fake profiles to ensnare victims.
The seized funds include:
7.23918814 BTC
105.75351403 ETH
636.11899592 AVAX
14,120.995091 USDT
2,380,467,906.17 SHIB
319,008,151.01 PEPE
Citing 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (Wire Fraud) and 18 U.S.C. § 1956 (Money Laundering), the U.S. government is now pursuing the forfeiture of Omokri’s seized cryptocurrency holdings. Special Agent Caulfield affirmed in her sworn affidavit that the confiscated assets were directly linked to financial crimes and should be legally forfeited to the government.
As the crackdown on international fraud intensifies, this case highlights the growing role of cryptocurrency in financial crimes and the global efforts to track, seize, and recover illicitly acquired digital assets.
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