Mississippi Grand Jury to Review Global Cybercrime Ring

A Mississippi federal grand jury will decide if a New York man will be prosecuted for his alleged role in an international cybercrime organization with South Mississippi connections.

Olutoyin Ogunlade of Brooklyn, New York, is accused of bank fraud and laundering money obtained by co-conspirators in the takeover of a TD Ameritrade investment account owned by two Los Angeles residents.

House Land Security investigators told U.S. Magistrate Robert Walker at Monday’s hearing in Gulfport that the co-conspirators obtained the victims’ personal identify information and impersonated one of them while transferring $34,950 to a Chicago bank account in October.

The agent testified Ogunlade allegedly was given two prepaid money cards with proceeds from that account and was instructed to keep 10 percent and transfer the rest to persons in Nigeria and London, England. He also received and sold high-end electronics to a co-conspirator and kept 10 percent of the money, the agent said.

Security cameras at banks and ATM machines in the greater New York City area reportedly took pictures of Ogunlade, wearing a fur-lined winter hat, as he conducted fraudulent transactions, the agent said.

The Sun Herald reports that Ogunlade, 40, has dual citizenship in the United States and Nigeria. He has been denied bond.

At the end of the hearing, Walker ordered the case sent to a grand jury.

The Gulfport office of Homeland Security filed a criminal complaint against Ogunlade after 15 people were arrested around the world May 20 following their indictment in the Southern District of Mississippi.

Agents began investigating in 2011 after a Harrison County woman reported suspicions of a sweetheart scam. Officials have said co-conspirators bought personal information from computer hackers and targeted many of their victims online through mass mailings regarding opportunities for romance and work-at-home jobs.