A Nigerian electrical engineer, Alex Sualim, who lives in Canada, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his part in an internet scamming scheme.

Sualim was also ordered to pay restitution to the tune of $13 million. Those assets include 18 bank accounts, five Toronto homes and seven vehicles, including a Porsche Panamera, an Audi Q7 and a Tesla Model S.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), Sualim was part of a group that claimed to be a Canadian firm looking for a distributor to purchase a Chinese product. The operation took place between 2009 and 2013. The criminals sent out spam emails targeting American companies. When victims responded, the criminals would initially offer to cover all the cost and later swindle victims into paying for phony merchandise.

Ismael Nevarez Jr, the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agent in Charge, said: “The defendant operated a sophisticated, international fraud scheme that spanned four continents and swindled millions of dollars from more than a dozen victims."

About a dozen deep-pocketed American investors thought they would strike it rich by helping Canadian firms import semiconductors from China to North America.

Source: NationalPost