FBI Tracks $250,000 Trump Inauguration Scam To Lagos-Based Fraudster

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has filed a legal complaint seeking to confiscate assets belonging to Lagos-based fraudster Ehiremen Aigbokhan, accused of masterminding a cryptocurrency scam that diverted over ₦460 million ($250,000) intended for Donald Trump’s 2025 presidential inauguration, News360 Nigeria reports.

According to court documents from the United States, Aigbokhan and his syndicate used a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme to impersonate officials from the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee.

The group reportedly created fake email addresses that closely mimicked those of Steve Witkoff, a real estate magnate and co-chair of the event, to mislead an unsuspecting donor.

The scam was carried out on December 26, 2024, when the fraudsters successfully tricked the donor into transferring 250,300 USDT.ETH, a form of cryptocurrency, valued at over ₦400 million at the time.

The funds were immediately dispersed across multiple digital wallets, with about 215,000 USDT.ETH moved within a few days.

Prompt action by the FBI and cryptocurrency company Tether led to the detection of the fraudulent transaction, with the affected accounts frozen by December 31.

Further investigation traced Aigbokhan’s operations to Lagos, Nigeria, prompting intensified efforts by U.S. authorities to clamp down on the syndicate.

Aigbokhan is also being sought in connection with other cryptocurrency-related fraud and money laundering activities.