US Air Force members given over 6 years in prison for cyber theft of more than $2 million

What happened

Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu, 25, and Harafat Mogaji, 26, spent years sending phishing (messages that impersonate someone to obtain passwords or money) emails to businesses that allowed them to steal login information for employee email accounts. According to court documents, both men pleaded guilty to wire fraud, identity theft and access device fraud charges in June.

Air Force were handed multi-year prison sentences for running a business email compromise scheme that stole millions of dollars from several organizations. Using the stolen credentials and spoofed email addresses, the men redirected payments to and from victims into bank accounts they controlled. The men were stationed at Dover, Delaware Air Force base when they conducted the scams. The two were sentenced on Friday, with Odimegwu getting a more than 9-year sentence and Mogaji receiving a 6.5-year sentence. Odimegwu will pay $366,617 in restitution while Mogaji will have to pay $995,680. Each will also serve a three-year supervised release term after their prison sentence.