A dual British-Nigerian citizen who posed on the internet and through email as American contractor employees to defraud project owners will spend seven years in prison, a federal judge in North Carolina ruled Oct. 1. Prosecutors say the scheme netted $14 million, which could have been much higher, if suspicious banking activity had gone unnoticed.

Oludayo Kolawole John Adeagbo, 45, was a leader in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and launder stolen funds using what authorities call a business email compromise, or BEC, scheme, according to prosecutors. The schemes typically use fake but real-seeming email addresses to redirect invoiced funds.