The United States has released Nigerian entrepreneur and convicted fraudster, Obinwanne Okeke—popularly known as Invictus Obi—after serving roughly six years for his involvement in a multimillion-dollar cyber fraud scheme.
Information from the website of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) confirmed that Okeke was no longer in custody as of Wednesday, December 23, 2025. The record on the BOP database read: “Not in BOP Custody as of: 12/23/2025.”
Okeke, who was arrested in 2019, has reportedly been freed from U.S. custody, with deportation to Nigeria expected in accordance with the terms of his plea agreement. In February 2021, he was sentenced to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to his role in a scheme that defrauded victims of approximately $11 million.
Based on his initial sentence, Okeke was due for release in September 2028. However, the reasons behind his early release remain uncertain. Some observers suggest that he may have been granted supervised release or a form of leniency, noting that a transfer to a state facility is improbable since his offenses were federal.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Okeke in August 2019 at Dulles International Airport, Virginia, as he attempted to leave the country. Investigations revealed he and his associates executed a business email compromise scheme that targeted Unatrac Holding Limited—the export sales division of Caterpillar for heavy equipment and agricultural machinery.
Court documents showed that in April 2018, a Unatrac executive was deceived by a phishing email, giving the conspirators access to login details. Using that access, they sent fraudulent wire transfer requests backed by fake invoices, successfully diverting millions of dollars from the company’s accounts. Authorities estimated total losses at about $11 million.
In Nigeria, the Federal High Court previously ordered the interim forfeiture of more than ₦280 million traced to Okeke’s bank accounts.
Before his arrest, Okeke, now 38, was celebrated as one of Africa’s rising business stars. He was listed on Forbes Africa’s “30 Under 30” in 2016 and later featured among the continent’s 100 Most Influential Young Africans. Okeke was also the founder of Invictus Group, with reported investments spanning construction, agriculture, oil and gas, telecommunications, and real estate.
