ALIASES: “Lord Aminu Kano,” “Richard Amall”
DOB: April 20, 1986
NATIONALITY: Nigeria
CITIZENSHIP: Nigeria
HEIGHT: N/A
WEIGHT: N/A
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Brown
U.S. SECRET SERVICE FIELD OFFICE: Newark
CASE SUMMARY
The indictment in this matter alleges that Egbe Tony Iyamu is a member of the Cape Town, South Africa-based chapter of the “Neo Black Movement of Africa” criminal organization, also known as “Black Axe.” From at least 2011 until 2021, Iyamu and other members of Black Axe worked together to engage in widespread Internet fraud involving romance scams and advance fee schemes. The conspirators used social media websites, online dating websites, and voice over Internet protocol phone numbers to find and talk with victims in the United States, while using a number of aliases.
The conspirators’ romance scam victims believed they were in romantic relationships with the person using the aliases and, when requested, the victims sent money and items of value overseas, including to South Africa. Sometimes, when victims expressed hesitation in sending money, the conspirators used manipulative tactics to coerce the payments, including by threatening to distribute personally sensitive photographs of the victim.
In addition to laundering money derived from romance scams and advance fee schemes, the conspirators also worked to launder money from business email compromise (BEC) schemes. In addition to their aliases, the conspirators used business entities to conceal and disguise the illegal nature of the funds.
Iyamu was the Cape Town chapter’s “Chief Butcher” from approximately 2013 to 2018. In this role, Iyamu functioned as the chapter’s security officer and was responsible for disciplining other members.
The prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey. The case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Priority Transnational Organized Crime (PTOC) investigation.
Relevant Links
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If you have information regarding this individual, please contact the U.S. Secret Service at MostWanted@usss.dhs.gov.