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U.S. detains five, including Nigerian, linked to €300m German fraud ring
The United States has arrested five fugitives, including a Nigerian national, in connection with a massive international fraud network accused of defrauding thousands of victims of more than €300 million in Germany.
The arrests were made by the U.S. Marshals Service in California’s Central District at the request of the German government, which is now seeking the suspects’ extradition.
The detainees, who appeared in federal court on Wednesday, were identified as Medhat Mourid of Woodland Hills; Andrew Garroni of Los Angeles; Guy Mizrachi of Agoura Hills; Ardeshir Akhavan of Irvine; and Tunde Benak, also of Irvine.
According to German authorities, the suspects allegedly masterminded a sophisticated operation that generated millions of recurring fraudulent debit and credit card transactions disguised as legitimate payments to fake merchants. Investigators said the fraudsters deliberately kept the charges below €50 to avoid alerting victims.
To sustain the deception, the network reportedly set up fake websites accessible only through direct links or unique URLs.
They allegedly worked with German payment processors, including some executives and compliance officers, to approve the fraudulent transactions.
Several former employees and executives of these processors were also detained in Germany, with prosecutors describing the operation as a parallel “shadow financial system” within the country.
The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that its Office of International Affairs collaborated closely with German investigators to execute the arrests and meet extradition requirements.
The international crackdown also led to coordinated arrests and searches across Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Cyprus, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Singapore.
The development was jointly announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California, and U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta.
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