Cyber Attacker Sentenced For Stealing $2.7M From Villanova U

VILLANOVA, PA – A man who stolen millions from Villanova University through a cyber attack was hit with a prison sentence Wednesday, according to authorities

New York State Attorney General Barbara D. Underwood said Anthony Nyame, 59, of the Bronx, was sentenced to three and a third to 10 years in prison for stealing over $3.5 million from multiple victims, including Villanova, in financial fraud schemes.

Nyame stole over $2.5 million from Villanova University through a cyber-attack. In a different scheme, he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from victims, including a Bronx church, by tricking them into thinking his Wall Street-based company, General Capital Corporation, couuld get millions of dollars in loans as long as they provided they paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to collateralize the loans.

Nyame’s cyber theft involved stealing $2.7 million dollars from Villanova, using a spoofed email to the school’s payment department.

The email caused an electronic wire payment of approximately $2.7 million, meant one of the university's vendors, to be redirected to Nyame’s bank account. Once he got the wire, he transferred nearly $200,000 out of the country before the bank could freeze the remaining balance.

Villanova officials said nearly all stolen funds were recovered by the university.

Nyame also allegedly promised to obtain a $30 million loan for First Ghana Seventh Day Adventist Church in the Bronx, which was seeking to build a multi-family dwelling on its property.

Instead of using the deposits to secure the promised loans, Nyame diverted money from the church and other investors for his own personal use – including $71,000 in cash withdrawals and transfers to his personal bank account, $47,000 to pay for his Wall Street apartment, and an additional $26,000 for assorted personal items.

Nyame also transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to multiple companies and people around the world.

On Sept. 13, 2017, Nyame pleaded guilty in New York County Supreme Court to two counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class “C” felony, and one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class “D” felony. On Sept. 27, 2017, Nyame pleaded guilty to Grand Larceny in the First Degree, a Class “B” felony. As part of his plea agreement, Nyame was given one year to make restitution or otherwise be subject to a sentencing range from two and a third to sevens years to three and a third to 10 years in prison.

"It’s unconscionable to defraud unsuspecting New Yorkers and organizations – including churches and universities," Underwood said. "Today’s sentencing serves as a reminder that those who abuse the system will be held accountable for their fraudulent conduct."

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