U.S.-Based Nigerian Jailed 95 Months for Laundering $3.1m Through Car Shipments to Nigeria

A Nigerian national based in the United States, Oluwasegun Baiyewu, has been sentenced to 95 months in federal prison for his role in a money laundering conspiracy involving more than $3.1 million in proceeds linked to multiple fraud schemes.

Baiyewu, 40, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced by a U.S. federal court on Friday after a jury convicted him in August 2025 of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The proceeds involved in the scheme were reportedly generated through various fraud operations, including business email compromise, romance scams and unemployment insurance fraud targeting victims in the United States.

According to the Justice Department, Baiyewu worked with at least six other co-conspirators based in the United States and Nigeria between May 2020 and October 2021.

The group allegedly used encrypted messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, to coordinate the receipt and movement of fraudulent funds.

Investigators said Baiyewu and his associates used the illicit proceeds to purchase salvaged and used vehicles in the United States, which were subsequently shipped to Nigeria as part of the money laundering operation.

“Using encrypted messaging applications, such as WhatsApp, Baiyewu and his co-conspirators coordinated the receipt and use of illicit money to purchase salvaged cars and then ship them to Nigeria,” the Justice Department said.

One of the transactions involved proceeds from a business email compromise scheme targeting a renewable energy company in Puerto Rico.

The company was allegedly deceived into transferring approximately $280,000 to bank accounts controlled by fraudsters and money launderers.

The Justice Department said Baiyewu subsequently worked with his co-conspirators to launder the funds by making payments toward the purchase of vehicles in the United States.

He then arranged for the vehicles to be exported and shipped to Nigeria for the benefit of members of the conspiracy.

The case highlights the use of international trade and vehicle exports as a means of disguising proceeds obtained through online and financial fraud schemes.

Baiyewu will now serve 95 months in federal prison for his role in the conspiracy.