Fake Email Diverted $113,050 to Business Account — Most Funds Withdrawn Within Hours; Man Indicted

A North Dakota man has been indicted on federal fraud charges after prosecutors say a nearly identical email address was used to redirect $113,050 owed to an art dealer into the man’s business bank account.

Who Is Charged: Authorities say 32-year-old Nicolas Mondani Oleko, originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was arraigned on August 10 on one count of wire fraud and one count of bank fraud. Court filings say he was living in North Dakota when the alleged scheme occurred.

What Happened: An auction company in Asheville, North Carolina, sold furniture, silver and historical artifacts for an 80-year-old art dealer and then emailed the dealer a settlement statement. Prosecutors allege someone impersonated the dealer by using an email address nearly identical to the dealer’s — swapping the letter "o" for the numeral "0" — and sent revised wire instructions.

Believing the altered instructions were legitimate, the auction business wired $113,050 on December 21, 2023. Instead of going to the art dealer, the funds were deposited into a Wells Fargo account belonging to Mondani LLC, which prosecutors say Oleko owned.

Rapid Withdrawals: Bank records cited in the indictment say $112,240.80 was withdrawn from the Mondani LLC account the same day the payment posted. The same-day activity allegedly included transfers of $40,000, $15,000 and $10,000 into a personal checking account in the names of Oleko and his wife.

Investigative Evidence: FBI agents interviewed Oleko in April 2024 at his Fargo apartment. According to the indictment, Oleko acknowledged owning Mondani LLC and said he had not expected the roughly $113,000 deposit. He reportedly told agents he was struggling with debt and used the funds to pay debts, and that he did not believe he had acted unlawfully.

Prosecutors also cite activity found on Oleko’s phone. On December 21 — the day the deposit arrived — the phone was allegedly used to search for information about the auction company’s net worth and to calculate "15% of 100k." On December 22 the phone was allegedly used to search the auction company’s name and to ask "what happens when a bank account is blocked."

In January 2024, investigators say a WhatsApp message sent to Oleko’s phone stated, "Take your 20% and send the rest," followed by an image of the deposit and an audio message prosecutors describe as containing apparent threats if money was not paid. Those communications suggest possible involvement by others, though the public indictment does not identify who sent the messages or who created the spoofed email.

Legal Status and Penalties: A federal grand jury returned the indictment on June 3; it was unsealed when Oleko was arraigned on August 10 in North Dakota. He has been charged with one count of wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343) and one count of bank fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1344). Oleko is indicted, not convicted, and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Valley News Live reported that wire fraud ordinarily carries a maximum prison term of up to 20 years, while bank fraud can carry a statutory maximum of up to 30 years and fines up to $1 million, depending on specific circumstances and sentencing guidelines.

Practical Takeaways and FBI Guidance

The FBI’s guidance on business email compromise recommends that businesses:

• Independently verify payment requests by calling a known number on file rather than replying to an email.
• Scrutinize email addresses closely — fraudsters often change a single character (for example, replacing "o" with "0").
• Require a second employee’s approval for large wire transfers, particularly when account details change.
• If you discover a fraudulent transfer, contact the sending bank immediately to ask whether the wire or ACH payment can be frozen, recalled or traced, and report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov).

Investigation: The FBI is investigating the case, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota is prosecuting. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Greenley is listed as the prosecutor in public filings.

Note: This article is a summary of public court filings and local reporting. An indictment is an accusation; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.