The United States has released Nigerian entrepreneur and convicted fraudster Obinwanne Okeke, popularly known as Invictus Obi, after spending about six years in prison over his role in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme.
Checks on the United States Bureau of Prisons (BOP) website confirmed that Okeke was no longer in custody as of Wednesday, December 23, 2025.
His prison status was listed as “Not in BOP Custody as of: 12/23/2025.”
Okeke, who was arrested in 2019 and later sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in February 2021, had pleaded guilty to charges connected to an $11 million fraud.
Reports indicate that he has now been released from U.S. custody, with deportation arrangements said to be underway in line with the terms of his plea agreement.
Based on his original sentence, Okeke was expected to remain behind bars until September 3, 2028.
However, the reasons for his early release remain unclear.
Analysts speculate that he may have been placed on supervised release or granted another form of reprieve, noting that a transfer to a state prison was unlikely.
The convicted fraudster was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in August 2019 at Dulles International Airport, Virginia, while attempting to leave the United States.
Investigations revealed that Okeke and his accomplices carried out a sophisticated business email compromise scheme targeting Unatrac Holding Limited, the export sales office for Caterpillar heavy industrial and agricultural equipment.
Court documents showed that in April 2018, an Unatrac executive fell victim to a phishing email that allowed the conspirators to steal login credentials.
Using fake invoices and fraudulent wire transfer requests, the group diverted millions of dollars meant for the company. Authorities estimated the proceeds of the scheme at about $11 million.
In Nigeria, the Federal High Court had earlier ordered the temporary forfeiture of more than ₦280 million traced to Okeke’s bank accounts.
Before his fall from grace, Okeke, now 38, was a rising star in African business circles.
He was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016 and later recognised among the publication’s 100 Most Influential Youths.
