…Previously found guilty of $80million scam
*Indictment alleges suspect lied about criminal history on application to obtain U.S. citizenship
*Knowingly made materially false statements under penalty of perjury on an application for naturalization
*Following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Okoro was earlier convicted of conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud
*To spend 30 years in jail if convicted at the end of prosecution.
*BY DR. GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU, Executive Editor & Group Managing Director, NAIJA STANDARD NEWSPAPER Inc USA.
IN AN UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION which lasted a period of 11 months, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS, has slammed a three-count charge on an earlier convicted Nigerian born man, Omoyoma Christopher Okoro, a 51-year-old, notorious to be shady and found guilty to have lied under Oath in a bid to obtain United States citizenship.
USCIS aided in the investigation that led to a federal grand jury indictment recently charging Okoro, a United States citizen with naturalization fraud. The indictment alleges that Okoro lied about his criminal history on his application to obtain U.S. citizenship.
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According to the indictment and previously issued court documents, Okoro is alleged to have made knowingly and materially false statements under penalty of perjury on an application for naturalization. Okoro answered “no” to the question “Have you ever committed, assisted in committing, or attempted to commit, a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?”. Okoro took the Oath of Allegiance and naturalized on Dec. 13, 2018.
On Sept. 19, 2024, following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Okoro was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud. He was also convicted of two additional counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and one count of bank fraud.
He was sentenced to imprisonment for 100 months and ordered to pay over $22 million in restitution. According to the jury’s verdict, Okoro committed those crimes from at least Aug. 13, 2008, through Jan. 1, 2011. He was not arrested until after he fraudulently naturalized in 2018.
Okoro is charged in a three-count indictment with naturalization fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison as well as the automatic revocation of his U.S. citizenship.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Daniel P. Bubar made the announcement. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Division is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Warlick is prosecuting the case.
