Authorities in Las Vegas State, United States have withdrawn the licence of African Shrine run by Wale Ogundana in the state after FBI traced proceeds of stolen funds by suspected Nigerian fraudster Bobo Chicago to the entertainment hub.
The FBI arrested Bobo Chicago, the notorious fraudster whose real name is Oluyomi Omobolanle Bombata, on November 20, but as the agents widened their investigation net and followed the money trail, they discovered that African Shrine had received part of the fraudulent funds.
People's Gazette reports that the FBI found that Bobo Chicago, 25, wired $394,000 to the African Shrine in Sin City, roping Mr Ogundana into the mess as the agents opened a criminal investigation to determine the extent of his involvement with the suspect, if any at all.
The Nevada state government immediately moved against Mr Ogundana and pulled the plug on his licence to operate the nightclub business, a move that would significantly impact Mr Ogundana’s finances given that Las Vegas is a city predominantly known for nightlife entertainment that includes clubs, casinos, liquor stores, prostitution and so on.
Ogundana, according to the report, has been banned from engaging in any entertainment business, nightclub, liquor sales and related activities.
Mr Ogundana did not return comments to clarify his involvement—or lack thereof — in Bobo Chicago’s multi-million dollar alleged fraud scheme.
The 25-year-old alleged scammer hacked into computers, particularly emails of individuals and corporate organisations, to steal their money. So far, the FBI has tracked $2.8 million stolen between June 2023 and October 2023.
The FBI was making efforts to fish out Bobo Chicago’s accomplices and was looking into Mr Ogundana’s activities in Vegas.
Bobo Chicago, on his part, said he had no money to hire an attorney to fight the case. Instead, he relied on the services of a public defender provided by Oklahoma state.
He was initially arrested in Illinois, Chicago, but got transferred to Oklahoma, where he allegedly committed the crimes and was now facing a five-count charge bordering on fraud.
Several Nigerians have been taken in by law enforcement agents for committing fraud in the U.S., including infamous Instagram influencer Ramon Ray ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas and Mr Woodberry.
The duo are serving sentences in Fort Fix correctional facility in New Jersey.
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