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| Frank Onyeachonam and his lavish party lifestyle |
Frank Onyeachonam whose nicknamed 'Fizzy' because of his love of champagne, ran the UK end of global lottery scam that was orchestrated from his native Nigeria for seven years to fund his lavish millionaire’s lifestyle. He conned pensioners out of sums from £2,000 to £600,000, deliberately targeting his victims because they were potentially vulnerable to his tactics.
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| Used Naria currency to spell out his nickname |
While he bled them of their life savings, Onyeachonam enjoyed a life of fast cars, champagne and designer clothes. Pictures he posted on Facebook show he spent the cash on Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Armani designer clothes, Rolex watches, Porsches and Maseratis.
He even stuck wads of what look like £50 notes in his Buzz Lightyear toy. Onyeachonam, of Canning Town, east London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiracy to defraud following a three-week trial.
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| His rolex wrist watch |
Lawrencia Emenyonu, 38, and Bernard Armah, 51, both of Wood Green, north London, were also found guilty of money laundering.
All three denied the charges. Emenyonu was jailed for 18 months while her partner Armah received an eight-month term.
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| A property in Nigeria belonging to Frank |
Investigators traced 14 victims - mainly from the U.S. but including one from Britain - who were defrauded of a total of around £900,000. But detectives believe this is the 'tip of the iceberg' with evidence suggesting there may have been as many as 400 victims and the sum may be as high as £30 million.
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| A regular in members' clubs Onyeachonam's favourite drink was Ace of Spades champagne (pictured in the door) costing between £300 and £500 a bottle. His fridge was also stacked with Dom Pérignon (top shelf left) and Moët & Chandon (middle shelf) |
Onyeachonam was seen as the key figure in the UK but police suspect a criminal network was in place in several countries around the world. Authorities found an alleged co-conspirator abroad had an email containing the details of more than 100,000 potential victims.
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| one of his cars |
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| One of his rides in Nigeria |
The defendant was thought to have started working on the scam almost immediately after he arrived in the UK from Nigeria in 2005, and was said to have carried on into 2012 while he was on bail following his arrest the year before.
His crimes were uncovered in a three-year operation led by the National Crime Agency with assistance from the Postal Inspection Service and Internal Revenue Service in the US.
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| Several passports for frauds. Police suspect a criminal network was in place in several countries around the world |
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| When they raided his luxury apartment in Canary Wharf police discovered an 'Aladdin’s cave' of evidence pointing to an advanced fee scam |
When they raided his luxury apartment in Canary Wharf police discovered an 'Aladdin’s cave' of evidence pointing to an advanced fee scam. Among 200 exhibits were notebooks containing the names, addresses, cash tallies and other personal details relating to 406 people.
Police estimate that the fraud is likely to have run to at least £5 million and possibly as high as £30 million if all those in the notebooks suffered losses.
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| He even stuck wads of what look like £50 notes in his Buzz Lightyear toy |
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| Onyeachonam, at his London apartment in Canary Wharf, overlooking the Millennium Dome |
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| Partners in crime: Bernard Armah and Lawrencia Emenyonu who were jailed for their part in a scam involving fraudster Frank Onyeachonam |
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