A Nairobi court has approved the extradition of three Kenyan nationals to the United States, where they face prosecution for an alleged multi-million-dollar cyber fraud scheme.

The suspects — Peter Omari, Francis Asanyo, and Elvis Obaigwa — are charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft under U.S. law.

The Milimani court endorsed arrest warrants originally issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on November 15, 2023. The ruling clears the legal path for the suspects to be transferred to U.S. custody.

The three were apprehended in Kenya following a joint operation conducted by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Interpol, and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

According to investigators, the suspects were part of a syndicate that orchestrated business email compromise and vendor account compromise schemes targeting U.S. state and local government entities beginning in April 2019. The group allegedly registered internet domains designed to imitate those of legitimate companies, created fraudulent email accounts, and employed social engineering tactics to redirect payments into bank accounts under their control. Business email compromise has ranked among the most financially damaging categories of cybercrime reported to U.S. authorities, with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center recording billions of dollars in annual losses tied to such schemes.

Investigators further allege that the syndicate recruited U.S.-based money mules to receive millions of dollars in misdirected funds before transferring the money to Kenya. The case underscores the increasingly transnational character of cyber fraud, where perpetrators operate from one jurisdiction while targeting victims and laundering proceeds across multiple countries.

The suspects had remained in custody throughout the extradition proceedings. Prosecutors argued that the severity of the charges and the potential penalties under U.S. law created a significant flight risk, justifying continued detention.

The defence had opposed the prolonged detention, contending that neither Kenyan nor U.S. investigators had formally interrogated the suspects during their time in custody.

With the court's decision now rendered, the three individuals are set to be extradited to the United States to face the charges brought against them. The case reflects sustained cooperation between Kenyan and U.S. law enforcement agencies on cybercrime, an area in which both governments have pledged deeper collaboration in recent years.