By our Reporter
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize property belonging to Lagos-based fraudster, Ehiremen Aigbokhan, who allegedly stole over ₦460 million in cryptocurrency meant for Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration.
According to legal filings, Aigbokhan and his accomplices used a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme to impersonate the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, deceiving donors into sending funds to crypto wallets they controlled.
In one case, on December 26, 2024, a donor received a fake email from @t47lnauguration.com—closely resembling the official @the inauguration.com used by committee co-chair Steve Witkoff. The victim sent 250,300 USDT.ETH, valued at over ₦400 million, to the fraudsters’ wallet.
Within days, 215,000 USDT.ETH was moved to various crypto wallets. The FBI intervened and asked crypto company Tether to freeze the funds, which it did on December 31.
Investigations traced the fraudulent activity to Aigbokhan’s Binance.com account, created in October 2024, which had no prior deposits until it received proceeds from the scam. Forensic analysis also linked multiple fraudulent email accounts and IP addresses back to Lagos, confirming Aigbokhan’s involvement.
The FBI has since seized over ₦60 million in crypto from two wallets connected to Aigbokhan, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Blaylock Jr requesting a court order for forfeiture.
An arrest warrant is also being pursued against Aigbokhan in connection with the cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering charges.
