Man sentenced for mail fraud scheme that swindled Dickinson company out of nearly $500,000

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - A U.S. District Court Judge sentenced a Nigerian man to two and a half years in prison and ordered him to pay nearly $350,000 in restitution for defrauding a Dickinson company.

Bamidele Akande, 37, was arrested for mail fraud in 2021. Prosecutors say while Akande lived in Texas he used a computer intrusion scam to trick a Dickinson company into releasing checks. The company lost more than $298,000 in the ruse. Prosecutors say Akande also opened a bank account with a fake passport, then wrote an email appearing to be from the Dickinson company’s owners to scam them out of an additional $192,000.

Authorities extradited Akande to North Dakota where he pleaded guilty to the crimes in Nov. 2022.

United States Attorney Mac Schneider said, “Too often, swindlers believe they can evade justice because they are behind a computer or operating internationally. This sentence shows they should think again.”

Two others are also serving time for roles in the scheme.