News
Kenyans charged in US fraud case
Posted Wednesday, November 18 2009 at 19:41
In Summary
- Government agencies tricked into paying $3.3 million to bogus firms in internet scam
Five more Kenyans have been charged in an international fraud case in which US government agencies were tricked into paying at least $3.3 million to bogus companies.
The five, Michael M. “Mikie” Ochenge, 33; Robert M. “Robe” Otiso, 36; Paramena J. “Joseph” Shikanda, 35; Albert E. Gunga, 30; and Collins A. Masese, 20, all living near Minneopolis, were born in Kenya.
Prosecutors outlined an elaborate global scheme in which computers in Kenya accessed US government websites to glean information for the scheme.
The conspirators also allegedly received packages from Kenya with fake passports and sealed, addressed envelopes later placed in the US mail. Two of the packages came through the United Arab Emirates.
Wired to Kenya
Charges are that Ochenge, Otiso and Shikanda devised a scheme that exploited increased use of the Internet by the public and private sectors to conduct business.
Posing as providers of services to state agencies, they allegedly managed to scam $1.2 million from Massachusetts, $919,000 from West Virginia, $869,000 from Kansas and $301,000 from Ohio.
The money had been intended for either Deloitte Consulting or Accenture Corp.
Along with Gunga and Masese, Ochenge, Otiso and Shikanda allegedly conspired to launder the proceeds, with $770,000 wired to Kenya. Most of the money had come from West Virginia.
Officials in the other three states have since recovered their money.
Similar names
The indictment also mentions Angella Muthoni Chegge-Kraszeski, a 33-year-old Kenyan-born North Carolina resident married to a US citizen.
Chegge-Kraszeski allegedly registered companies with similar names to the legitimate firms — spelling them as “Deloite” and “Acenture.”
Reported by AP Staff Writer John Hanna in Topeka, Stephen Majors in Columbus and Steve LeBlanc in Boston
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Submitted by patoskyPosted November 19, 2009 08:35 PM
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Submitted by mosee254
Am not from the mountains but this is a real shocker because people havent commented yet on this topic.if the above names were kamau things would have been alot different let us all comment as kenyans without tribal boundaries other communities are also involved in fraud.
Posted November 19, 2009 05:42 PM -
Submitted by Mishuki
kenya competing with Nigerians?
Posted November 19, 2009 01:54 PM -
Submitted by hurstvonberg
you know what they do to people like this in the US? They make sure they stand for trial and if found guilty they are jailed. depending on the severity of their crime...permanent residents may be stripped their right to remain in the US and deported back to Kenya.
Posted November 19, 2009 12:07 PM -
Submitted by akuba
Damn those hard working Kenyans in the diaspora. What are they are upto now? Here, in the US a conviction will send these people for a long time behind bars. Just think about Madoff, Jeffrey skilling, Ken Lay. In May 2006, James Paul Lewis, Jr. was sentenced to 30 years, June 27, 2007, former boy band mogul(Nsync, backstreet boys founder) and notorious con artist Lou Pearlman ,was sentenced to 300 months, and the list goes on.
Posted November 19, 2009 02:13 AM
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Infact,,i see no difference between these people and our so called leaders.....sure you get me.