The United States Bureau of Prisons has released Nigerian businessman and convicted fraudster, Obinwanne Okeke, popularly known as Invictus Obi, after he spent six years in federal custody for orchestrating a large-scale wire and computer fraud scheme that defrauded U.S.-based companies of approximately $11 million.
Okeke, 38, was released on Wednesday, December 25, 2025, according to U.S. prison records, with deportation arrangements to Nigeria currently underway in line with the terms of his guilty plea agreement.
He was arrested in August 2019 by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the Dulles International Airport in Virginia while attempting to board a flight to Nigeria.
In February 2021, a U.S. federal court sentenced him to 10 years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit computer fraud.
However, his early release is believed to be linked to the First Step Act, a prison reform policy signed into law during President Donald Trump’s first term, which allows sentence reductions for inmates who meet specific behavioural and rehabilitation criteria.
Court documents revealed that Okeke masterminded a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) scheme between 2015 and 2019. Investigations showed that he hacked into corporate email systems, including that of Unatrac Holding Limited, a company involved in exporting Caterpillar industrial machinery.
By intercepting and manipulating email communications, he diverted legitimate payments into accounts under his control.
U.S. prosecutors described the scheme as global in scale and highly coordinated. In a 2021 statement, Raj Parekh, then Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said Okeke’s actions caused “a staggering $11 million in losses” to victims through impersonation and cyber intrusion.
Following his conviction, Nigerian authorities also took action. The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court ordered the temporary forfeiture of over ₦280 million found in Okeke’s Nigerian bank accounts, pending further proceedings.
Before his arrest, Okeke enjoyed widespread acclaim as a young entrepreneur. In 2016, Forbes listed him in its 30 Under 30 Africa category, describing him as the founder of Invictus Group, with business interests spanning construction, agriculture, oil and gas, telecommunications, and real estate.
Forbes noted that the company’s name was inspired by William Ernest Henley’s poem Invictus, often associated with Nelson Mandela, symbolising resilience and perseverance.
His conviction, however, marked a dramatic fall from prominence and remains one of the most high-profile cyber fraud cases involving a Nigerian national in the United States.
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