BREAKING: Donald Trump Got Scammed. FBI Hunts Nigerian Fraudster Over Trump’s Inauguration Fund Theft
FBI pursues Nigerian fraudster Ehiremen Aigbokhan over $250,000 stolen from Donald Trump's 2025 inauguration funds via a crypto scam. Learn how the sophisticated scheme was uncovered.
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In a dramatic twist fit for a political thriller, U.S. federal authorities are now seeking to seize property belonging to Ehiremen Aigbokhan, a Lagos-based cyber fraudster accused of stealing over ₦460 million ($250,300) intended for Donald Trump’s 2025 presidential inauguration.
The U.S. Department of Justice has released details of a sophisticated cryptocurrency scam and money laundering scheme, with Mr. Aigbokhan at the center of it. The alleged scam targeted a major donor to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee through a Business Email Compromise (BEC) a tactic where criminals send fake but convincing emails resembling legitimate ones.
In this case, the scammers replicated the email identity of event co-chair Steve Witkoff. On December 26, 2024, a donor was duped into transferring 250,300 USDT (Ethereum-based cryptocurrency) - over ₦400 million to what they believed was the official account for inauguration donations.
The fraudsters swiftly moved 215,000 USDT.ETH into various crypto wallets in an attempt to launder the funds. However, Tether, the company behind the cryptocurrency, froze the associated accounts on December 31 following a prompt alert from the FBI.
Forensic investigators traced the transactions back to Aigbokhan’s operations in Lagos, Nigeria, and a full-scale manhunt is now underway. The FBI has requested Nigerian authorities’ cooperation in apprehending the suspect and recovering the stolen funds.
This case has ignited conversations around international cybercrime, the vulnerability of high-profile political events to crypto scams, and how foreign actors can influence - and exploit - U.S. political processes.
Stay tuned for updates on this developing story
