Two Nigerians – Temitayo David and Toyosi Ogunleye – are helping the United States authorities with its investigation after they were arrested with stolen properties worth $500,000.
David, 55, – a woman – and Ogunleye,42, were arrested alongside one Gregory Bland after Gwinnett County sheriff’s deputies searched a warehouse, and found $500,000 in stolen microscopes, medical equipment and electronics in a Snellville warehouse.
The trio were consequently charged with theft by receiving after investigators notified federal authorities of their find.
According to reports, Deputies said they began investigating after a California company was not paid for an order of 40 microscopes totalling $11,555.20 that was shipped to the warehouse on Eastgate Place in Snellville.
The order had appeared to come from an existing customer, but investigators learned that the microscope company had actually been a victim of a business email compromise scheme, which is a type of phishing scam.
Investigators went to the warehouse on Feb. 23. They encountered Bland, who said he was allowed to live at the building in exchange for accepting packages for the owner, David, according to a sheriff’s office release. During a search, investigators found the microscopes and other stolen items, including medical equipment and construction equipment, the release said.
All three suspects were arrested at the warehouse. David is being held without bond in the Gwinnett County Detention Center. Bland and Ogunleye were released on $11,200 bond.
According to Deputy Shannon Volkodav, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.
“The investigation began after a microscope manufacturer in California contacted the sheriff’s office notifying us of a fraudulent order they processed after receiving an email from what appeared to be an existing customer’s email account.
“When the invoice wasn’t paid, a call was placed to the existing customer, who stated that they had not placed the order.”
A joint investigation between the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is ongoing.
