Nigerian Man Admits Role In Payroll Deposit Cyber Fraud Scheme - US Justice Dept.

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd February, 2022) A Nigerian national has entered a guilty plea to a charge of participating in a scheme to conduct cyber intrusions to steal payroll deposits, the US Justice Department said in a press release.

"Damian Williams, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Charles Onus pled guilty to computer fraud in connection with a scheme to conduct cyber intrusions... to steal payroll deposits from multiple user accounts maintained by a company that provides human resources and payroll services," the release said on Tuesday.

Onus was previously arrested on April 14, 2021 in San Francisco while traveling to the United States from Nigeria and has been detained since his arrest. He entered his guilty plea on Tuesday before US District Judge Paul Gardephe, the release said.

"Charles Onus admitted to participating in a scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of hard-earned Dollars from workers across the United States by hacking into a payroll company's system and diverting payroll deposits to prepaid debit cards he controlled," the release added.

From July 2017 through at least in or about 2018, Onus participated in a scheme to conduct cyber intrusions of multiple user accounts maintained by a company that provides human resources and payroll services to employers across the United States, according to the release.