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Two men are sentenced to prison over a cyber scam that involved Athens’ new fire station

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Two men linked to a cyber scam that defrauded the city of Athens of more than $700,000 were sentenced to prison last week and ordered to pay restitution.

In late 2024, someone impersonating the contractor building the city’s new fire station caused a payment of nearly $722,000 to be sent to a fraudulent account.

The new Athens Fire Department headquarters
The new headquarters of the Athens Fire Department was dedicated on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Athens, Ohio. [HG Biggs | WOUB Public Media]
A year later, two men serving in the U.S. Air Force in Delaware were indicted on fraud charges involving multiple victims. Both pleaded guilty earlier this year.

The city was able to recover $205,000 of the money remaining in the scammers’ account after the fraud was discovered. Another $200,000 was received from insurance.

One of the scammers, Chijioke Timothy Odimegwu, was sentenced on Friday to more than nine years in prison and ordered to pay more than $366,000 in restitution to one of the victims, a Catholic church in Iowa.

The other scammer, Harafat Mogaji, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison and ordered to pay more than $995,000 in restitution to several victims, including $429,062 to the city of Athens.

Athens Mayor Steve Patterson updated the City Council Monday night on the resolution of the fraud case.

“The indictment, guilty pleas and sentences do not undo the theft,” Patterson said. “They do not give back the time our staff has spent responding to it or erase the effect an incident like this has on public trust. But Friday’s outcome is meaningful. The city was heard in court, its losses were recognized and full restitution was ordered.”