The FBI has filed a legal complaint to seize assets belonging to Lagos-based fraudster Ehiremen Aigbokhan, who is accused of orchestrating a cryptocurrency scam that stole over ₦460 million ($250,000) meant for Donald Trump’s 2025 presidential inauguration.
According to U.S. court documents, Aigbokhan and his associates used a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme to impersonate officials from the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee.
They created fake email addresses that closely resembled that of Steve Witkoff, a real estate executive and co-chair of the event, to deceive a donor.
On December 26, 2024, the fraudsters successfully tricked the donor into transferring 250,300 USDT.ETH — a form of cryptocurrency — which was valued at over ₦400 million at the time. The stolen funds were quickly dispersed across several digital wallets, with 215,000 USDT.ETH being moved within days.
The FBI, working with cryptocurrency firm Tether, identified the fraudulent activity and froze the affected accounts on December 31. Aigbokhan was traced to Lagos, Nigeria, prompting a full-scale investigation by U.S. authorities.
Aigbokhan is also wanted for his involvement in broader cryptocurrency fraud and money laundering operations.
