The United States (US) marshals service has arrested a Nigerian fugitive and four others, in connection with a massive fraud scheme that reportedly defrauded thousands of victims in Germany of more than €300 million.
The arrests were made in California at the request of German authorities, who are seeking the suspects’ extradition.
The fugitives, identified as Medhat Mourid (Woodland Hills), Andrew Garroni (Los Angeles), Guy Mizrachi (Agoura Hills), Ardeshir Akhavan (Irvine), and Tunde Benak (Irvine), appeared in federal court on Wednesday.
According to German investigators, the group orchestrated a sophisticated network that generated recurring fraudulent debit and credit card charges disguised as payments to fictitious merchants.
Transactions were deliberately kept below €50 to avoid detection, and fake websites were created with direct-access links or unique URLs to facilitate the deception.
The network is alleged to have collaborated with employees, executives, and compliance officers of German payment service processors to ensure the fraudulent payments were approved.
German prosecutors say the scheme effectively created a parallel shadow financial system within the country.
Acting assistant attorney general, Matthew Galeotti, first assistant US attorney, Bill Essayli of the central district of California, and US marshals service director, Gadyaces S. Serralta announced the arrests, highlighting the close collaboration between US and German authorities in tackling international fraud.
The US department of justice confirmed that its office of international affairs worked closely with German counterparts to meet legal requirements for extradition and ensure a coordinated enforcement response.
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