Invictus Obi Released From U.S. Prison, Faces Deportation After Serving Fraud Sentence

Nigerian businessman and former Forbes-celebrated entrepreneur, Obinwanne Okeke, popularly known as Invictus Obi, has been released from a United States federal prison after serving part of his sentence for a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme.

Records from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons show that Okeke was released from custody on Wednesday, with arrangements underway for his deportation to Nigeria, in line with the terms of his guilty plea agreement.

Okeke, 38, was arrested in August 2019 by FBI agents at Dulles International Airport, Virginia, while attempting to board a flight to Nigeria. He later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit computer fraud.

In February 2021, a U.S. court sentenced him to 10 years’ imprisonment for orchestrating a sophisticated business email compromise (BEC) scheme that defrauded American companies of approximately $11 million between 2015 and 2019.

However, his early release appears to be linked to the First Step Act, a prison reform law signed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, which allows sentence reductions based on good behaviour and participation in rehabilitation programmes. Okeke is believed to have qualified under the policy.

Court documents revealed that Okeke hacked into corporate email systems, notably that of Unatrac Holding Limited, a company involved in exporting Caterpillar industrial machinery. By impersonating legitimate company officials and intercepting emails, he redirected payments from unsuspecting victims into accounts he controlled.

“Through subterfuge and impersonation, Obinwanne Okeke engaged in a multi-year global business email and computer hacking scheme that caused a staggering $11 million in losses to his victims,” Raj Parekh, then Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement in 2021.

In Nigeria, the Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier ordered the temporary forfeiture of over ₦280 million found in Okeke’s local bank accounts, linked to proceeds of the fraud.

Before his arrest, Okeke enjoyed widespread acclaim and was featured in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Africa list in 2016, where he was described as one of the continent’s most promising young entrepreneurs.

He was presented as the founder of Invictus Group, with Forbes noting that the company was named after a poem by William Ernest Henley, popularised by Nelson Mandela, symbolising resilience and an unconquerable spirit.

At the time, Forbes credited Okeke with investments spanning construction, agriculture, oil and gas, telecommunications, and real estate—a reputation that later collapsed under the weight of the criminal charges.

With his release from U.S. custody, attention now turns to Nigeria, where his return is expected to revive debate around elite fraud, accountability, and the glamorisation of wealth without scrutiny.