A Nigerian lawyer, Okechukwu Josiah Odunna, has been extradited to the United States to face charges in connection with a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme that defrauded U.S. financial institutions of approximately million.
Odunna, 60, was arrested by Nigerian authorities on September 24, 2024, following a U.S. extradition request. After waiving extradition, he was transferred to the Southern District of Florida on March 6, 2025.
He made his initial court appearance in Miami, Florida, where he faces charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution.
According to the indictment, between December 2005 and May 2008, Odunna and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to fraudulently obtain loans for the purchase of approximately 20 residential properties in Florida by submitting false loan applications and fraudulent documents to financial institutions.
As a licensed attorney and a director of Direct Title and Escrow Services, Inc. (DTES), Odunna allegedly acted as a settlement agent in these transactions, helping to disguise the fraud by providing falsified settlement statements that misrepresented sale prices, purchaser identities, and fund disbursements.
Several individuals have already been convicted in connection with the fraud:
- Karl Oreste pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 100 months in prison.
- Marie Lucie Tondreau, former Mayor of North Miami, was convicted at trial and sentenced to 65 months in prison.
- Kelly Augustin remains a fugitive.
If convicted, Odunna faces:
- Up to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
- Up to 30 years in prison for wire fraud affecting a financial institution.
- Fines and supervised release upon completion of any sentence.
The FBI Miami Field Office, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation (OFR), and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs played key roles in securing Odunna’s arrest and extradition.
The Nigerian Ministry of Justice, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Abuja were also instrumental in facilitating the process.
Odunna, who previously served as a Deputy Director, Legal at the National Lottery Regulatory Commission in Abuja, is scheduled for a pretrial detention and arraignment hearing on March 11 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman.
