Nigerian pleads guilty to Internet scam

ST. LOUIS Federal authorities win a rare case against Internet scammers.

A Houston man pleaded guilty in federal court in St. Louis of helping to steal 115-thousand-dollars from a pair of brothers who were told they would receive millions of dollars from Nigeria.

The man, 35-year-old Femi Ikuopenikan, is originally from the African country.

Prosecutors say he worked for a group of criminals who set up a bogus Internet-based bank called Hallmark Trust Financial. Often through e-mail, the scammers told potential victims that they are Nigerian government officials seeking to spirit money from the country.

The victims are asked to provide thousands of dollars in the form of small payments to cover taxes, fees or expenses, and typically receive nothing in return.

Nigerian officials rarely prosecute such cases because the "victims" were trying to defraud their government.

Ikuopenikan will be sentenced in February and could face up to five years in prison and 250-thousand-dollars in fines.