Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 | 11:34 a.m.
Harrison Doe
Fidelis Oselu Okukpujie
Metro Police arrested two men Wednesday suspected of involvement in a Nigerian money scam, in which criminals lure victims to pay for what turns out to be large sums of bogus cash.
Metro's criminal intelligence section arrested Fidelis Oselu Okukpujie, 26, and Harrison Doe, 23, at a Las Vegas hotel-casino for allegedly trying to obtain money under false pretenses, a felony, and conspiracy to commit a crime, a gross misdemeanor, police said. Immigration Customs and Enforcement helped in the probe.
After an investigation into a local organized crime group, officials arrested the two when they met with an undercover detective who they believed was going to exchange $200,000 for a substantial amount of "Nigerian black money," police said.
During the investigation, police searched a vehicle and storage shed, officials said. Okukpujie and Doe are in custody at the Clark County Detention Center.
Okukpujie, originally from Nigeria, lived in Phoenix and has an extensive criminal record in the United States, officials said. Doe is from Liberia but lived in Coon Rapids, Minn.
Authorities said both suspects have immigration detainers placed on them, meaning ICE has requested notification prior to their release from local custody.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy